For several years, the government and the Health Insurance have jointly repeated that the health sector must engage in a major digital shift. Created in 1998, the Vitale card was in the line of fire and is about to experience a major evolution.
The Vitale e-card is not mandatory, but has several advantages. © iStock Unreleased / Getty Images
A decree of law published on December 28, 2022 establishes the progressive deployment of the Vitale e-card on French territory in 2023. A major development, supposed to facilitate relations between health professionals and policyholders.
Eight departments are already experimenting with a test phase deemed conclusive, even if the application is not yet available on the App Store (iOS) and the Play Store (Android). The generalization of the device is planned for this year, but could ultimately take a little longer.
Obvious advantages
This immaterial alternative does not necessarily replace the physical version and it will always be possible to use the latter in the event of a reader failure or the absence of a smartphone. However, it has many advantages that the Ameli.fr site details in a PDF for health professionals.
Policyholders will still be able to use the physical card if needed. © Ameli.fr
The first is that it allows patients to avoid oversights. It is indeed much rarer to omit your smartphone than your Vitale card, especially among the youngest. In times of epidemic, it also makes it possible to avoid a direct exchange with the practitioner.
Finally, the Vitale e-card allows you to take advantage of secure care sheets thanks to systematic access to the medico-administrative situation of the insured (ADRi, for Integrated Rights Acquisition), which avoids errors and therefore rejections. of invoice. From the CPAM point of view, this should logically reduce fraud.
Simplified installation
If the procedure chosen in the test departments does not change, access to this new sesame should be relatively simple. A user manual should also be available on the Ameli account of each insured. According to this, you will need to install the apCV application (for Carte Vitale app), then launch a secure authentication procedure. You will also need a photograph and the proof of identity associated with the card. A request for facial recognition will follow to compare the biometric templates between the insured and the photo provided.
Practitioners will be able to equip themselves with an NFC-compatible device for their consultations. © Ameli.fr
Once the app is installed on the smartphone, a QR Code will be created for practitioners. They can also have an NFC chip reader for compatible mobiles. The use should therefore become as simple as for a bank card stored in a digital wallet.
A sanitary Swiss army knife
The application will also be a gateway to various health insurance services. It will be possible to have access to their SESAM-Vitale invoicing in order to directly consult their summaries of healthcare expenses, but also to delegate the use of the card to a trusted person for a fixed period. Ideal for childcare or elderly care by relatives.
Pharmacists will have easier access to the list of previously prescribed drugs. © Portra/Getty Images
This will also make it easier for pharmacists to access previous prescriptions. A good way to avoid prescription errors (allergies, contraindications) in the event of a change of establishment.
The app will also offer the ability to securely identify to other health services.
Data protection ensured
This Vitale e-card must obviously comply with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). Health Insurance is clear: this digital version benefits from the same level of security as its physical equivalent.
In its article R.161-33-18-I., the decree stipulates that the biometric data necessary for authentication and activation of the application “are destroyed at the end of a period which cannot exceed 96 hours”.
The data on the digital Vitale card will be as well protected as with the traditional card. © Westend61 / Getty Images
It is also specified that “Only the agents of the bodies managing the Compulsory Health Insurance specially authorized for this purpose” will have access to the data mentioned.
If the data of the insured are visibly well protected, this is not always the case currently with their smartphone. It is for this reason that access to the application will necessarily require double authentication, including a previously defined code and identification via the patient’s mobile. Finally, note that the official launch date has not yet been communicated.