Frequently asked questions

Your appointment with a physician

You can contact the consultation department at the Victor Hugo Clinic on 0153 655365. You can also make a direct online appointment with one of our physicians via www.doctolib.fr.

The difference is in the consultation fees charged. Sector 1 physicians base their consultation fees on the reimbursement amounts defined by the Social Security scheme. Sector 2 physicians are free to set their own fees. Therefore, their rates are generally higher than the reimbursement amounts established by the Social Security scheme. The patient has to pay for any fee overruns.

The basis of reimbursement is the same for a sector 1 or sector 2 physician . Supplementary health insurance will partially or totally cover the balance due by the patient after deduction of the portion reimbursed by the Social Security scheme.

Sector 2 private physicians may ask you to pay a fee overrun on presentation of a quotation. You will be reimbursed the fee amount agreed by the Social Security scheme.
For greater clarity, each physician’s consultation fees are posted in the waiting room.

For more information : www.ameli.fr

There is a difference in the reimbursement of fees between a physician who has signed to the Controlled Pricing Practice agreement (OPTAM – <i>Option pratique tarifaire maitrisée</i>) and another who has not signed it.

OPTAM is a voluntary agreement signed between the health insurance fund and physicians practising (or who have the possibility to practise) in sector 2. Its aim is to improve access to care for patients by :

  • Limiting fee overruns
  • Allowing them to be better reimbursed by their social security fund and their health insurance provider.

To find out if your physician is a member of OPTAM, go to www.ameli.fr

Moreover, if you have not declared your physician as your “primary care physician”, the Social Security scheme considers your consultation to be “outside the care pathway” and only reimburses you up to 30% of your costs as opposed to 70%.

Your Hospitalisation

The procedures are identical regardless of the type of hospitalisation (inpatient or day hospitalisation).

  • Contact reception to fill out a pre-admission form.
  • Contact your health insurance provider to inform them of the fees that will be charged.
  • Prepare all the documents required by the medical teams (X-rays, analyses, assessments, etc.).

A consultation with an anaesthetist is a legal obligation to ensure your safety during your treatment. The minimum time limit of 48 hours is a compulsory requirement. Failure to respect this limit will result in the cancellation of the procedure, except in the case of an emergency.

Hospital stays at the Victor Hugo Clinic are generally short, from 24 hours, also called an outpatient stay, up to one week.

For a hospital stay, don’t forget to bring your identity document (national identity card, passport, etc.), your up-to-date Carte Vitale, universal health insurance certificate (if you have one), your updated health insurance card (if you have supplementary health insurance), your anaesthesia record, any test results (X-rays, tests, check-up reports, etc.) as well as your prescriptions and medicines (in their original packaging).

For emergencies at the Victor Hugo Clinic, you must present your up-to-date Carte Vitale (Social Security) to benefit from third-party payment.
Remember to specify at the time of treatment if your condition is due to an accident at work. You must also provide your employer’s declaration of an accident at work within eight days to ensure 100% coverage by the social security scheme.

It is important to regularly tell your physician or surgeon about all medicines you are taking. Please also provide them with all your prescriptions. For your safety during hospitalisation, you may only take medication that is given to you by the healthcare staff.

In order to guarantee your privacy you may request, during the pre-admission or admission process, to remain anonymous for the duration of your stay at the Victor Hugo Clinic.

You are entitled to have direct access to your entire medical file. You do not need to obtain the prior consent of your physician. Any request for communication of your medical records must be made in writing by sending a registered letter to the clinic’s management.

If the patient is deceased, the request must be justified. Upon receipt of the request, the Victor Hugo Clinic has a period of eight days in which to provide you with access to your medical file if the hospital stay took place within the last five years, and 30 days if the hospital stay took place more than five years ago. 
If you simply wish to consult your file, you will be given an appointment with the physician responsible for your stay or a management representative. If you request a copy of your file, you will be informed of the cost of photocopying and posting the documents.

The person concerned, their beneficiary in case of death, the person with parental authority (unless the minor’s objection is upheld), the guardian of a protected person or, where appropriate, a physician who has been designated as a trusted person by one of the above persons.

If you have any medical questions or complications, you can call the Victor Hugo Clinic on 0153 655365 or 0153 655306 and your questions will be forwarded directly to your physician.

In application of the Law dated 4 March 2002 on patients’ rights and the quality of the healthcare system, you may designate a trusted person or a contact person (parent, friend, healthcare worker). This person is freely chosen by you and may accompany you throughout every stage of your dealings with the Victor Hugo Clinic and attend medical appointments in order to assist you with the decision-making process.
The physician will consult with this person if your state of health does not allow you to receive information or express your will yourself.

Caution: If the need arises, then it is required that the healthcare proxy be consulted, but he or she cannot take any medical decisions him or herself. The physician can overrule the healthcare proxy’s opinion and take the decision he or she judges to be the best.
You must designate this person in writing by filling in and handing in the relevant document before your arrival at the Victor Hugo Clinic. This designation can be revoked at any time.

The contact person may be contacted for questions relating to the organisation of your stay (to provide information, bring personal belongings, etc.). They will be informed of your condition in the event of an emergency.

Note: The trusted person is not necessarily the contact person. The contact person cannot give consent to care on your behalf. Minors cannot designate a trusted person.

Your stay

A private room can be allocated to you on request, subject to availability. You must check, before your admission, with your health insurance provider to see if they will cover this cost.

Rates

For the safety of your belongings, we strongly recommended that you do not bring any jewellery, cash, credit cards, mobile phones, computers, tablets, chargers or other valuables with you. Only bring what is really essential for your stay.

If required, an individual safety deposit box is available in your room.
The Victor Hugo Clinic declines all responsibility for the theft of any valuables left in your room.

You will need a certain number of personal effects for your stay. We recommend you bring the following with you:

  • Sleepwear,
  • Comfortable outfits,
  • Slippers,
  • A dressing gown,
  • Essential toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, comb, razor, eau de toilette, etc.),
  • Towels and face cloths.

If you forget anything, the cafeteria located in the reception hall will be able to help you out.

In accordance with our patients’ charter, you may request a representative of your faith to visit you at the hospital by contacting the healthcare staff.

A valet parking service is available for patients at the entrance of the Victor Hugo Clinic. A valet will be at the front of the clinic from 7:30 a.m. and charges the patient €10 if attending a consultation and €15 if attending an outpatient procedure. You may even leave your car if you are hospitalised for a few days at a rate of €25 per day.

You would like to visit a patient

Unless restricted by medical advice, visits are permitted:

  • Hospitalisation: from 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
  • Outpatient: contact the medical teams.
  • By order of the Prefecture of Police, in their interest and for their health (risk of infection), children under the age of 15 are not allowed in the clinic’s departments.

For hygiene reasons, flowers and plants are not accepted in areas where patients are hospitalised.

Paying your invoice

By cheque payable to the Victor Hugo Clinic, to be sent by post or deposited in the letterbox in the reception area, or by credit card at reception from Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

In most cases the primary health insurance fund to which you are affiliated will cover your hospitalisation costs, as per the clinic’s agreement with the Social Security scheme, provided that you are up to date with your payments.

You will have to pay the PAT contribution (€18 per stay), the daily fee, the co-payment (which varies according to the type of pathology and care provided), inpatient services (single room, TV, telephone, services, etc.) and any additional fees requested by your physician. These costs may be covered in whole or in part by the your health insurance provider depending on the type of cover your have taken out. Find out how much your treatment will cost before you arrive.

The inpatient copayment amount is fixed by ministerial order. As from 1 January 2018, it is :

  • €20 per day in a hospital or private facility ;
  • €15 per day in the psychiatric ward of a health facility.

The inpatient copayment is not reimbursed by the Social Security scheme. It may be covered by your health insurance provider, depending on the cover you have taken out. Find out how much your health insurance will cover.

The fixed fee of €18 known the Participation Assuré Transitoire (PAT) is a contribution paid by the patient for treatment that costs more than €120 (hospitalisation + fees). These costs may be covered in whole or in part by the patient’s health insurance provider depending on the type of cover taken out.

For more information, go to the “forfait 18€” section of the Assurance Maladie website.

Physicians’ and anaesthetists’ fees do not transit the clinic’s accounts. Therefore, the Victor Hugo Clinic is obliged to collect these amounts separately.

You can request the payment of your bill in instalments.

Glossary

  • Inpatient copayment : The inpatient copayment is the patient’s financial contribution to the accommodation and maintenance costs incurred during their hospital stay. It is payable for each day of hospitalisation, including the day of discharge.
  • Optam & optam-Co : These are pricing options. The aim is to encourage awareness of fee overruns and to increase the proportion of care invoiced at an enforceable rate.
    • The Controlled Fee Option (Optam) is open to all physicians authorised to invoice fee overruns (sector 2);
    • The Controlled Fee Option, Surgery and Obstetrics (Optam-CO) is open to sector 2 physicians specialising in surgery or obstetrics and gynaecology.
      For more information visit www.ameli.fr
  • ERAS : Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) was initially developed in the 1990s by a Danish team led by Professor Henrik Kehlet. It is a comprehensive approach to patient care that promotes rapid recovery after surgery. (Source)
  • Co-payment : The copayment (ticket modérateur) is the portion of your health expenses that is payable by you after deduction of the Health Insurance fund’s share. The copayment has existed since the creation of the Social Security scheme and it applies to all reimbursable health expenses : physician’s consultation fees, laboratory tests, X-rays, purchases of prescribed medicines, etc.
    The percentage of the copayment varies according to :
  • Universal health insurance : Universal health insurance (CMU) exempts beneficiaries from paying hospital fees.
  • State medical assistance : State medical assistance (AME) exempts beneficiaries from paying hospital fees.
  • Medical excess : Amount deducted from the reimbursements made by your Health Insurance Fund for medicines, paramedical procedures and medical transport.
  • Diagnosis-related group hospitalisation : Diagnosis-related group hospitalisation corresponds to the fee for Diagnosis Related Groups (DRG). It is invoiced as a reimbursement for hospitalisation expenses incurred during the patient’s stay. However, it does not cover outpatient treatment : Visits to the Emergency department, outpatient procedures and consultations, etc.
  • ATU : A flat-rate payment for a visit to the Emergency department.
  • PAT contribution : The Participation Assuré Transitoire (PAT) is a fixed contribution of €18 for any medical procedure exceeding €91 . This fixed amount is reimbursed by many health insurance providers.
  • FJ : Inpatient copayment.
  • FJA : Inpatient copayment applicable to the day of discharge.
  • XTR : Extras (line connection and telephone communications, etc.)
  • CPC : Private room
  • SRA : Intensive care fees payable in addition to DRG fees.
  • SSC : Continuous surveillance fees payable in addition to DRG fees.
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