Declare your general practitioner
To make your declaration, you simply have to co-sign the Déclaration de choix du médecin traitant (Declaration of choice of general practitioner) and send it to your Caisse Primaire d’Assurance Maladie (CPAM, primary health insurance fund).
If you already have a Vitale card, you can show it to the doctor, who will make the declaration online. You are free to choose your doctor and change him/her without having to provide a reason.
EXCEPTIONS TO THE COORDINATED CARE PATHWAY
There are exceptions to the coordinated care pathway: you can consult certain specialists directly without going through your doctor. Be careful, you must still have declared a general practitioner beforehand.
These exceptions concern the following specialities:
- Gynaecologists
- Dental surgeons
- Ophthalmologists
- Psychiatrists and Neuropsychiatrists
- Laboratories
- Stomatologists
Similarly, you will not be penalised in terms of reimbursements if you consult another doctor because your general practitioner is on leave or unavailable or if you are away from home.
For more information on the coordinated care pathway, visit https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F163