After a very slow start, teleconsultation exploded thanks to the health crisis - going from 40,000 acts per month in February 2020 to 4.5 million in April 2020 - thanks to exceptional rules: possibility of consulting a doctor the patient did not already know, located at the other end of France, in some cases by simple phone call.
Read also
How teleconsultation became popular with the Covid
Having since returned to a more modest level, it has become one of the components of the care offer.
But to avoid abuse, and because the clinical examination remains the basis of medical practice, Medicare has prudently limited the share of teleconsultation in the activity of doctors to a maximum of 20%.
By skipping this restriction, the health system could save 1 billion euros, says a study published Tuesday by the Molinari Economic Institute.
The trivialization of teleconsultation, combined with the rise of tele-expertise, would, according to him, make it possible to reduce transport expenditure by 293 million euros, to reduce consultations with general practitioners and specialists by 467 million, and to generate 284 million euros in savings in emergency services.
Read also
How Doctolib became the essential pivot of the vaccination campaign
"Capping teleconsultations at 20% of a doctor's overall activity has no economic rationale since teleconsultation is a qualitative and economical means of providing health care",
defends Cécile Philippe, president of the Economic Institute. Molinari.
If they recognize that teleconsultation can meet real needs, Medicare and doctors' unions believe that its use must remain framed in the interest of patients.
/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/KMEYMJKESBAZBE4MRBAM4TGHIQ.jpg)
