Hello and Happy New Year!
I’m curious to know this: sometimes, I’ve seen the same doctor with practices in different locations and with different sectors (secteurs). So for example, this doctor, whom I’ll see soon, https://www.doctolib.fr/gastro-enterologue/paris/jean-marc-canard?pid=practice-3814, has two locations, one in Paris 13e in a hospital (Hôpital Privé des Peupliers), where he’s conventionné secteur 1 and carte vitale accepté, the other in Paris 14e (seems like a private practice), where he’s conventinné secteur 2, with carte vitale non-accepté.
I wonder, whether in this kind of cases, the time spent for patients’ consultaion and the attention paid to them will depend on the location and the secteur, since the prices are normally different and depends on secteurs? I mean, it’s quite sensible to choose the location with conventionné secteur 1 to pay the lower price; but the conventionné secteur 1 specialists (not GP’s) are mostly in a hospital, and I’ve seen very few specialists to be conventionné secteur 1, and practicing outside a hospital. But do the facts that (1) the prices are lower, and (2) the practice is in a hospital imply that the time spent with patients will be less there, whereas in private practices the doctors will consult better to patients? I apologize if this is a blunt question, but seem like there’s some logic behind it. I’d be grateful to hear your experience! Thanks a lot!!
Hello Susovan,
Do you not have a Mutuelle which will pay for private treatment?
If you rely solely on the French health system, you will be treated in a normal hospital. You can then choose to pay for a private room at your own cost.
You can also choose to pay for treatment in a private clinic.
The answer depends upon the doctor, but having spent time in both a private clinic and a general hospital I can say that it is the quality of care that is the more important.
I had my gall bladder removed in the Centre Hospitalier in Macon by a consultant who chose to work in the public sector, but I had a private room paid for by my Mutuelle and the care was excellent…
It is the expertise of the consultant that is the most important, not necessarily the amount of time he/she spends with each patient.
Hello Jane and thank you for your answer. First I should clarify that my question really concerns the consultation with a specialist, not treatments in a hospital.
I’ve a 100% mutuelle as well as sécu (=sécurité sociale, SS). My question about time spent with the doctor has basically two parts:
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If I go to a conventionné secteur 2 doctor, SS pays less than 70% of a certain tariff, which is an upper limit of some sort but is not the fee the doctor charges. Surely for convetionne secteur 1, SS pays 70% of the tariff=the doctor’s fee, but that decreases for other sectors or non-conventionné doctors. By “doctor’s fee” above, I meant the fee of both GP as well as specialists, whichever applies. So now, if I go to a conventinné secteur 2 doctor e.g., who charges say 60€, I’m not sure whether even a 100% mutuelle will cover all of the doctor’s visit after SS’s reimbursement (which’ll be less than 70% of that 60€, as I mentioned before)?
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Based on the correctness of my assumptions (I’m glad to be corrected!) in 1), it makes sense to choose a conventionné secteur 1 doctor to minimize the amount of money one’s to spend out of pocket, considering the total reimbursements by SS and mutuelle. But the specialists (GI, dermato…) who’re in conventionné secteur 1 are mostly in hospital, whereas they’ve their own private practices to consult patients as conventionné secteur 2 doctors. Note that, I’m talking about first or follow-up consultations here only, not hospital treatments. Now my question is: can I be certain that the doctor will spend more time to listen to my observations/story in detail even if I got the place where (s)he practices as conventionné secteur 1(normally in a hospital)?
Thanks again!
Hi Susovan Pal
Why not raise your query with your Médecin Traitant ?? He/she will (in all probability) know the Specialist and how that Specialist works.
In my experience with Specialists at all levels. They give the patient as much time as they deem necessary; they do not waste time.
Therefore if you have anything to discuss with the Specialist, I would suggest you make it succinct and relevant.
Hi Stella Wood,
Thank you for your response. I’m glad to read your last two paragraphs, and I’ve made a succinct but detailed description of what I’d report to the specialist (GI), whose link I’ve given above. Since my description is long, I’m a bit concerned whether I’d be given enough time; after all, wrong diagnosis does happen.
I did talk to my médicin traitant (GP), but the person he referred to is convetnionné secteur 2 (that’s not the same doctor whose link I’ve given above). When asked for a specialist in convetionné secteur 1, he told me that almost all of them would consult me in a hospital and not at their private practices-something I verified by searching on doctolib or mondocteur; indeed almost all of the specialists under conventnionné secteur 1 are consulting in a hospital. I didn’t ask my GP exactly the same question I asked here, though.
If you are being referred to the Specialist by your Médecin Traitant…he/she will give you a letter to hand to the Specialist, outlining your medical situation.
In my view, no Specialist will undertake any action without first talking things through with the patient, but I doubt that the Specialist would be expecting the patient to produce a long document for discussion. 
I would suggest you do ask your Médecin Traitant the very same question you have asked us…
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Yes he did give me a letter outlining my medical condition, to submit to the specialist (in conventionné secteur 2). However, I’m seeing a different specialist (in conventionné secteur 1). recommended by someone else.
That’s actually a good suggestion, thanks!
Frankly, I would not expect the Medecin Traitant to say anything different… for whichever Secteur…
Chat with your Doc… he will be able to put your mind at rest.