At the end of December an important decree on the Vitale electronic card was approved. Lets you learn more about rolling out this app meant to replace the good old plastic green card.
“Electronic Vitale card”, “electronic health insurance card”, digital Vitale card… it can go by many names and will soon be part of our daily lives. As indicated by the free lunch, a decree published on December 28, 2022 paves the way for its generalization on smartphones. This is how it will work.
What shape will it have?
The Covid crisis or the energy crisis have accustomed the French to the use of applications published by institutions such as Tous Anti Covid or more recently EcoWatt. Before a hunting app sees the light of day, therefore, it is a new app that replaces the Vitale card. Its name could not be clearer: Vitale e-card.
Should I switch to this Vitale eCard now?
So don’t panic, you don’t need to rush to the Play Store or App Store right now. As is often the case with these institutional developments, Health Insurance wanted to take the time to step back. The generalization of this digital map is set for 2026.
In the meantime, a so-called perspective phase opens to test the device as it should. The Rhône and Alpes-Maritimes departments have already been in the testing phase for two years. Another ten departments can benefit from it from October 2022. Here they are:
- saone et loire
- seine maritime
- lower rhine
- North
- Gironde
- herault
- loire atlantique
- Sarthe
- Puy de Dome
- Paris
Generalization to France is planned for 2023, but could also take place in 2024 with the usual rollout delay.
How to install it?
For the installation procedure, for the moment, we can only rely on how it went in the test departments. But it is not impossible that all this evolves at the time of national deployment.
One thing is certain, in the Rhône and the Alpes-Maritimes, all you had to do was go to your Ameli account to find instructions for using the Vitale eCard. This invited to install an application, apCV, which allowed a secure procedure via facial recognition. The goal is to authenticate the procedure as much as possible.
Once the app is installed, equipped healthcare professionals can read a QR code displayed in the app or even equip themselves with an NFC chip reader. According to a source who wishes to remain anonymous, installation by a professional relatively familiar with digital tools does not present any difficulties and can be done entirely by telephone support.
Is this change mandatory?
The old Vitale card can be kept. The decree does not provide any restrictions to switch to the Vitale electronic card.
The purpose of the maneuver is clear: there are more chances that a patient has his smartphone in his family than his Vitale card, the Health Insurance explains in essence to the free lunch. But also simplify the use.
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