Each year, 27 million medical appointments are not honored by the patients who have booked them. In order to counter this increasing phenomenon, sanctions could soon appear.
In France, it is between 6 and 10% of patients who do not show up for a medical appointment they had booked. A number that has been on the rise for several years, especially with the appearance of platforms like Doctolib. It has been observed that many patients prefer to book several appointments, sometimes with several practitioners for the same problem. The objective: to be sure of having an appointment, even in the event of a change of schedule. The concern is that in the midst of a shortage of doctors, these slots are lost. Between these practices, omissions and unforeseen events, it is about 27 million of them per year who will not be honoured, without reason, on a national scale.
Today a doctor does not have the right to claim any costs in the event of a no-show. Its only recourse is to block the appointment of this patient on the Doctolib platform. But that could change. On January 27, the National Academy of Medicine and the Order of Physicians expressed in a press release the need for the public authorities to take measures to make patients responsible in the face of this “genuine public health problem.” The two organizations suggest setting up an awareness campaign, but ask also a modification of the public health code to impose penalties.
What’s next after this ad
A penalization of patients who do not show up for an appointment?
Difficult for the moment to say. This is one of the possibilities that could be considered. On January 6, Emmanuel Macron spoke on the subject, showing support for change. He announced that a “Work will be undertaken with Health Insurance to make patients responsible when one or more appointments are not honored or when there is abusive recourse to unscheduled care.” On February 8, the senate even out of the way and already proposed in committee a “rabbit tax” which enjoins the patient to indemnify the practitioner. The CPAM could for example deduct the amount of the appointment from future reimbursements. However, nothing has been finalized for the moment.
Do not panic in any case: if a system of this type is put in place, it will not be applicable in the event of a justified impediment, or if you warn of your absence in advance. Currently, the patients concerned only very rarely think of informing them of their absence, even if they have been informed for their part for sometimes a few days. If possible, if something unexpected prevents you from attending a medical appointment, remember to cancel it as soon as possible to allow someone else to take the slot.