La Fueille de soins - Need advice pls

[mary]

Hi

I applied for my CV, ages ago and about 1 month ago, I got given my 'Securite sociale' (SS) number in a letter.  When I got my SS number, I set up a 'Mutuelle' with 'Ociane' and all the paper work has come through.  Ociane, siad that they are linked up with Cpam.

I visited the Doctor today for myself and my son.  Doctor wrote out the 'Fueille de soins' as I do not have a CV to put in his machine.  Took the prescription to the pharmacy and gave it all to him along with my piece of paper with SS number on and my details of my Mutuel. He entered all the info into his computer and he gave me my medication and said I did not need to pay anything.  What I did not get back from him was my 'Fueille de soins'.  Does he send it off for me?  Has he entered it into his computer that I have paid this amount to the Doctor and he keeps the copy, or has he held onto it by mistake.  How will I get my refund for this? I am confused as I have not done this before. 

Many thanks, Vida

[mint]

It's all automatic.  The F de S gets sent off by the Pharmacy (nice of them to offer to do it) and they will get their money from the CPAM and, also automatically, from your Mutuelle.

In future, when you get your Carte Vitale, they will swipe it on their machine and the Mutuelle part of the payment will also be automatic.

You need not pay unless it's, say, a nurse who doesn't have the card reader.  Then you'll pay her, she'll give you a F de S to send off to CPAM and the money is credited to your account.

[mary]

Thanks sweet, But I paid the Doctor the 22E when he gave me my F de S, so does that mean that the Phamancy will send it off for me, and I will get it back via CPAM via my Bank A\c, or should he have given me it back soI can send it off?

[mint]

Vida, I am entirely at fault and I should have read your post more carefully.  I see now that you did pay the doctor.

In this case, I am almost sure that the Pharmacien has kept the F de S to send off on your behalf and, yes, your bank account should be credited

If you are in any doubt, you could always go back and ask but it sounds to me like the Pharmacien has done the necessary.

Sorry about my earlier misunderstanding of your post. 

[Will]

It's probably worth pointing out that this is France, and there are many different ways of doing things. Sometimes you pay, other times you use a carte vitale (occasionally both), sometimes you get a feuille de soins, other times you don't. Sometimes reimbursement through your top-up is automatic, sometimes you have to send copies of receipts. Sometimes you have to send off the feuille de soins yourself, ocassionally it gets sent by the practitioner. Suffice it to say that if you are properly registered with the health system they all seem to work. If they don't, then you need to bring it to the attention of your local CPAM or other primary health assuance provider, or your top up insurer.

If asking in French is difficult there is a CPAM English language help line (I could also say you could use a French speaking friend, or an interpreter would make the call cheaply, but this seems to go against the moderators' interpretation of the 'no advertising' rule [;-)]).

[cooperlola]

It's an odd one because, as Will says, there are myriad ways in which these things get dealt with.  My own instinct would be to pop back to the pharmacy and ask them if they've passed the f de s on to the CPAM - otherwise you may lose out.