Assurance Maladie enables digital submission of medical claims via smartphone

The French health insurance system (Assurance Maladie) has introduced a new digital service via the Compte ameli mobile application, allowing users to submit paper medical claim forms (feuilles de soins) by photographing them with a smartphone.

This service is intended for situations where a patient's Vitale card is unavailable or a physician's electronic transmission equipment is malfunctioning. To qualify, the claim must be issued by a doctor in a private practice (such as a generalist or specialist) rather than a hospital or clinic. There is a reimbursement cap of 100 euros per claim, and users are limited to five requests per 30-day period.

Beyond user convenience, the transition to digital submissions is expected to save the national health insurance funds millions of euros by eliminating postal costs and reducing manual administrative processing. Currently, manual processing and postage for paper claims can cost between 1.50 and 2 euros per shipment.