It’s an old sea serpent finally taking shape. From 2019, the government promised the establishment of a digital vital card. This mobile application was to be generalized from 2021. It took two more years, but a decree published at the end of 2022 confirms the deployment of the health insurance e-card throughout France in 2023.
What is the digital vital card?
Created in 1998, the vital card is now very widely adopted. However, the government wants to initiate a new digital shift in health. He therefore decided to set up this dematerialized alternative to the physical vital card. It is important to note that the latter continues to exist and that it is still possible to use it without any restrictions.
In the absence of an obligation, it is not certain that its digital version will meet with much interest from the public. As our colleagues from Free lunchonly 38% of French people have activated their “My health space” account, a project nevertheless presented as a flagship by the authorities.
On its site, the Health Insurance boasts in any case the advantages of this new device which takes the form of a smartphone application. There is indeed more chance that patients have their phone on them, while the vital card is regularly forgotten. The teletransmission will then be carried out, which guarantees optimal reimbursement of health costs.
Ameli also promises that “care sheets are secure and made more reliable thanks to automatic access to the ADRi entitlement service, thus reducing the risk of errors and invoice rejections”. Finally, the reduction of the risk of hand-held contamination is mentioned. A detail that matters during a pandemic.
How does the digital vital card work?
Once downloaded, the insured person only has to present his application to the healthcare professional. The latter then has two options for using the service. He can decide to read the QR code displayed in the application. The operation can be done via a mobile application installed on your own phone or via a shower and a camera.
NFC technology can also be used. In this case, it will be up to the insured to place their telephone on a compatible reader. This option is not ideal, as NFC is not available on iPhone and some Android models.
What about confidentiality?
As always in digital health, the issue of confidentiality is essential. Health Insurance promises that the vital card application “has the same level of security as the physical card, a level guaranteed by the public authorities”. The only data stored on the service will be “the surname, first name, gender or sex, quality, and the obligatory organization of attachment”.
To secure them, the principle of double authentication is implemented (via the smartphone and a secret code). The idea is also to reduce fraud related to the use of cards quickly in physical format.
The state gives itself the time
If the generalization is planned for this year, the government nevertheless wants to give itself time. Thus, the sustainability of the system should only end by the year 2026.
