Telehealth Appointments: Government Ends Paid Fast-Track Options

Getting a faster appointment with a doctor online for a few extra euros: this practice, widespread among several telehealth operators, is on its way out. France's Ministry of Health has set an ultimatum for October 1, by which platforms must eliminate their paid fast-track connection options, deemed contrary to the principle of equal access to care.

Paid “Fast-Track” Options in the Ministry's Crosshairs

Several telehealth companies, including Tessan, Qare, and Livi, have for months offered accelerated appointment slots for an extra fee, on top of the cost of the consultation itself. The Ministry of Health's legal services have ruled: these additional fees are not compliant with regulations and create inequality among patients based on their ability to pay. The Minister of Health has given the operators concerned until October 1 to come into compliance.

Accreditation Suspended for Non-Compliance

The penalty is a strong deterrent: platforms that keep these paid options after the deadline will lose the accreditation that allows them to bill the French national health insurance system, the Assurance Maladie, for their services. This framework is based on Decree No. 2026-626 of July 8, 2026, published in the Journal Officiel (France's official gazette) on July 12, which strengthens the conditions for evaluating and renewing the accreditation of telehealth companies. The decree prohibits billing for anything other than the teleconsultation itself, while leaving room for optional services, provided they are clearly presented as such to the patient.

According to the Cour des Comptes (France's national audit office), these surcharges account for roughly one-fifth of commercial platforms' activity, compared with barely 5% of teleconsultations carried out by doctors or midwives in traditional private practice — a gap that has fueled suspicions of overbilling among some operators.

What Actually Changes for Patients

• The planned end of surcharges for getting a faster appointment on accredited platforms.
• A consultation fee that must remain the regulated rate for standard telehealth visits.
• Possible add-on services, but only if presented as optional rather than as a mandatory step to be seen quickly.
• A risk, for operators that refuse to comply, of no longer being reimbursed by the Assurance Maladie — and therefore losing much of their appeal.

This crackdown comes as digital tools gain ground throughout the care pathway: on that front, the digitization of health-related administrative procedures is moving just as fast as that of consultations themselves, as shown by the new secure sick-leave form now required for civil servants.

Health Data: Increasingly Digitized

Beyond the pricing issue, this regulation illustrates a broader trend: the growing role of digital tools, and even artificial intelligence, in managing the care pathway. Major medical appointment-booking platforms already process a massive volume of health data, a topic we covered in detail regarding Doctolib's use of health data to train its AI tools. More broadly, AI adoption continues to grow among French companies, as highlighted in the recently published review of the Osez l'IA plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is affected by this ban?

Commercial telehealth companies accredited by the Ministry of Health, several of which offered paid options for connecting quickly with a doctor.

What do platforms risk if they don't comply?

They risk losing their accreditation, which would prevent them from billing the Assurance Maladie for their teleconsultations and, as a result, from patients being reimbursed under the usual terms.

Will patients still pay more for a faster appointment?

In principle, no, not for “fast-track” options tied to the teleconsultation itself: the decree governing accreditation prohibits billing for anything other than the consultation, except for add-on services clearly presented as optional.

Sources

• Franceinfo
• Acuité
• TICsanté

This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence. Editorial policy