Health: How To Find A Primary Care Physician?
When a general practitioner stops their practice or retires without finding a replacement, their former patients are left without a primary care physician. If you find yourself in this situation, there are several steps you can take to find a new doctor. We will explain how to find a primary care physician in 5 points.
1- Start the research upstream.
A general practitioner about to retire must inform their patients to allow them to make necessary arrangements. They must also hand over their medical records to the patients so that they have all relevant information when consulting another colleague.
As a rule, the doctor provides a prescription valid for 6 months or a year to patients with chronic illnesses or multiple conditions, to give them time to find another practitioner without having to interrupt their long-term treatment.
The first piece of advice for finding a primary care physician is to start your search as soon as you learn that your current GP is about to leave. Depending on where you live, especially in the medically underserved areas of France, the search can take time.
Moreover, according to the National Health Insurance Fund, almost 6 million French people over the age of 17 do not have a referring physician. Yet, it is this healthcare professional who refers their patients to specialist doctors and ensures a reimbursement of the consultation at a rate of 70%.
Prospect close to home.
After your family doctor leaves, do not wait until you are sick to find a primary care physician! Look around your home by asking your local pharmacist, for example, or by checking the list of practitioners on the annuairesante.ameli.fr website.
Do not hesitate to request a consultation with a general practitioner located near you, up to a month and a half in advance. This appointment is an opportunity to get acquainted, to review your health status, and to ask if they are willing to become your referring doctor.
A general practitioner is not obligated to accept to become your primary care physician but must justify their refusal. Moreover, in case of a medical emergency, they are obliged to see you.
Address health care facilities.
Another solution for finding a primary care physician is to visit a health center near your home.
The multidisciplinary health centers, or MSPs, are facilities where several independent professionals work together. There, you will find at least two general practitioners and paramedical caregivers such as nurses, psychologists, and physiotherapists.
You can find the contact information for these types of establishments through the regional health agency (ARS) of your area. Health centers are often set up in areas with a shortage of doctors in order to address territorial inequalities in access to healthcare.
4- Turn to the CPTS.
To find a primary care physician in an area where general practitioners are scarce, you can also turn to the "territorial professional health communities" (CPTS).
CPTS bring together all health professionals practicing in the same area, such as a department or a community of communes. These structures aim to streamline patients' care pathways.
As of March 2023, there were 803 territorial professional health communities in France. However, be aware that there are significant regional disparities in this area. For more information, you can visit the website of your Regional Health Agency (ARS) or the federation of CPTS at fcpts.org (see the link below).
5- Contact the CPAM mediator.
If your efforts to find a primary care physician remain unsuccessful, you can turn to the mediator of the Primary Health Insurance Fund. You can contact this mediator through your Ameli account or by mail. You must attach to your letter the questionnaire "Difficulty in accessing a primary care physician," which can be downloaded from the ameli.fr website.
Regardless of the method used, you must specify the names of the doctors you have contacted, the reason for their refusal, and your ongoing treatments. With this approach, you will no longer be declared "without a primary care physician" and you will not be penalized in the reimbursement of your consultations.
Note: When one no longer has a general practitioner, teleconsultation can be a backup solution. In the absence of a primary care physician, this remote consultation is reimbursed at 70%. However, it is better to use it occasionally, as the geographical distance from the doctor can affect the quality of care and even lead to diagnostic delays.
