Pharmacists can carry out the prevention check-up for people aged 18–25, 45–50, 60–65 and 70–75, in a private consultation area, in 30 to 45 minutes. They bill it under code RDP: €30 (€31.50 in the overseas departments and regions, or DROM), fully covered (100%) with no extra fees, once per age bracket. The Personalized Prevention Plan goes to the patient’s regular doctor (médecin traitant), unless the patient objects.
As doctors, we have every interest in pharmacists carrying out prevention check-ups: every week, the pharmacy sees people who no longer set foot in a doctor’s office, and it knows their medications. This page is for pharmacy owners and staff pharmacists: requirements, steps, billing, sharing the plan, training. The general framework of Mon bilan prévention, France’s national prevention check-up program, is outlined in the prevention check-up.
Can a pharmacist carry out a prevention check-up, and under what conditions?
Yes. The decree (arrêté) of May 28, 2024 on the providers, content and billing terms of prevention appointments makes pharmacists providers of the check-up, alongside doctors, nurses and midwives. French National Health Insurance (Assurance Maladie) sets two conditions: signing up for the program and having a private consultation area in which to see the patient.
Signing up for the program
Signing up is voluntary and is done on sante.fr, the French public health information portal, with a CPS or e-CPS card (the French health professional smart card or its digital version); it lists the pharmacy in the directory of professionals offering the check-up, which patients use to find a location near them.
The private consultation area
French National Health Insurance states that “pharmacists must have a private consultation area” to carry out the check-up. A 30- to 45-minute conversation that covers tobacco, alcohol, mental health or sexual health cannot take place at the counter. Pharmacies that already offer patient consultations or vaccination generally have such an area.
Who in the pharmacy carries out the check-up?
The check-up is carried out by the pharmacist. The decree lists the providers (doctors, nurses, pharmacists, midwives); pharmacy technicians are not included. A staff pharmacist, being a qualified pharmacist, can carry it out. The team, technicians included, does, however, play a role in identifying eligible people and booking appointments.
How does the prevention check-up work at the pharmacy?
The check-up lasts 30 to 45 minutes and follows the three steps defined by French National Health Insurance: identifying risks from the self-assessment questionnaire completed by the patient, jointly prioritizing one or two topics, writing the Personalized Prevention Plan (PPP). It is scheduled by appointment, in the private consultation area, and not improvised while dispensing medication.
| Step | What happens at the pharmacy | Official tool | Practical pointers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before the appointment | Checking eligibility at the counter, handing over the self-assessment questionnaire for the age bracket (PDF or Mon espace santé link), booking the appointment | Self-assessment questionnaire by age bracket | Bring current prescriptions and vaccination record |
| 1. Risk identification | Reviewing the self-assessment questionnaire with the patient; risk-identification aid form (medical history, treatments, screenings, vaccinations, lifestyle habits) | Risk-identification aid form | The pharmaceutical record (dossier pharmaceutique) and dispensing history inform the medication review |
| 2. Prioritization | Jointly choosing one or two topics the patient is ready to act on | Topic sheets (tobacco, alcohol, physical activity, sleep, diet, screening, vaccination…) | Let the patient choose |
| 3. Personalized plan | Writing the PPP: goals, actions, local resources, timelines; giving it to the patient | PPP template; map of prevention resources on sante.fr | Plan for sending it to the regular doctor |
What the pharmacy brings to risk identification
Pharmacists know what has been dispensed to the patient. For 60- to 65- and 70- to 75-year-olds, the medication review and the identification of possible adverse drug effects (iatrogenic risk) are a contribution specific to the pharmacy; they are recorded in the PPP and sent to the regular doctor, who decides on any adjustments. For younger people, contraception, quitting smoking and catch-up vaccinations are topics the pharmacy counter already covers.
What the check-up is not
The check-up includes neither a physical examination nor any routine laboratory test, and it does not make a diagnosis. The measurements a pharmacy may offer separately (blood pressure, finger-prick blood glucose) are not part of the check-up as defined. A topic that calls for a medical opinion is recorded in the PPP and referred to the regular doctor.
How do you bill the prevention check-up at the pharmacy: code RDP, €30?
The prevention check-up at the pharmacy is billed under procedure code RDP, at €30 in mainland France and €31.50 in the overseas departments and regions. It is fully covered (100%) by French National Health Insurance, with no upfront payment for the patient, and no extra fees may be charged. French National Health Insurance states that it “can be billed only once per person and per age bracket.”
| Billing item | Rule |
|---|---|
| Procedure code | RDP (pharmacist); RDV for doctors, RDI for nurses |
| Amount | €30 in mainland France, €31.50 in the DROM |
| Coverage | 100% French National Health Insurance, with no upfront payment for the patient |
| Extra fees | None |
| Frequency | Once per person per age bracket, across all professionals |
What makes a claim undue
Two situations make the claim undue: the patient is outside the age bracket (age 26 or 51, for example), or they have already had the check-up for the same bracket with a doctor, a nurse or another pharmacy; the rules are identical for the prevention check-up carried out by a nurse. Before scheduling the appointment, ask the patient and check in Mon espace santé, France’s personal digital health record, whether a PPP has been uploaded.
What should be sent to the regular doctor, and through which channel?
The Personalized Prevention Plan and the risk-identification aid form must be sent to the patient’s regular doctor, unless the patient objects. They are sent via secure health messaging, through the shared medical record (dossier médical partagé) in Mon espace santé, or by the patient themselves. This ensures that a screening, a vaccination or a medication question identified at the pharmacy is picked up by a doctor.
What the doctor expects from the pharmacist
On the practice side, a PPP received from a pharmacy is useful if it can be read in a minute: the priority topics, the actions agreed, what is being asked of the doctor (opinion, prescription, screening). We describe in the prevention check-up carried out by a doctor how this plan is picked up during a visit. A patient whose check-up was done at the pharmacy does not need to repeat it at the doctor’s office; it could no longer be billed for the same bracket.
No regular doctor, or if the patient objects
Among 18- to 25-year-olds, not having a regular doctor is common: the PPP then lists registering one among the actions, and uploading it to Mon espace santé lets the future doctor find it. If the patient objects to the plan being shared, the pharmacist notes this and gives the patient the PPP; the patient remains free to show it to their doctor.
Is training required to carry out a prevention check-up at the pharmacy?
No. French National Health Insurance states that “no additional training is mandatory” to carry out the prevention check-up. Voluntary online modules are offered by the French School of Public Health (École des hautes études en santé publique, EHESP) at formation.bilan-prevention.ehesp.fr, notably on motivational interviewing and brief interventions.
These modules help above all with the second step: guiding patients to choose their topic themselves, rather than handing out advice. The official topic sheets provide guidance by topic, and the self-assessment questionnaire, described in the prevention check-up questionnaire, serves as a common framework for all professionals. Access conditions for the modules can be found on the platform.
How do you organize the counter, and when should you offer the check-up?
The check-up is organized in three stages: identifying eligible people at the counter, giving them the self-assessment questionnaire along with an appointment, then conducting the conversation in the private consultation area during a reserved time slot. The most natural use cases for a pharmacy are the young adult without a regular doctor, the 45- to 50-year-old who does not see a doctor and the older person whose prescriptions are piling up.
Identifying people at the counter
Eligibility depends on age: 18–25, 45–50, 60–65 and 70–75 inclusive. The team, technicians included, can identify the people concerned while dispensing and offer them the check-up in one sentence: a 30- to 45-minute conversation, fully covered (100%), to take stock of their health and lifestyle habits, with no examination or blood draw.
Scheduling and preparing
The appointment is set for a time slot when the pharmacist can leave the counter for 30 to 45 minutes. The self-assessment questionnaire is handed over or sent beforehand, with a reminder to bring prescriptions and vaccination record.
Three use cases
- A 20-year-old student comes in for emergency contraception. The 18–25 check-up is offered for another day; the priority chosen is regular contraception, and registering a regular doctor is included in the PPP.
- A 47-year-old man buys over-the-counter nicotine replacement products. The 45–50 check-up makes it possible to discuss tobacco, alcohol, physical activity and the absence of any screening; the PPP refers him to his regular doctor for cardiovascular risk and the organized screening programs.
- A 74-year-old man comes in with three prescriptions from different prescribers. The 70–75 check-up focuses on medication review and fall prevention; the PPP sent to the regular doctor asks for a review of the prescriptions.
Mistakes to avoid
- Billing an RDP outside the age bracket or for a patient who has already had the check-up for the same bracket.
- Holding the conversation at the counter: a private consultation area is a condition set by French National Health Insurance.
- Not sending the PPP to the regular doctor, unless the patient objects.
Key takeaways
- Pharmacists are providers of the prevention check-up (decree of May 28, 2024), provided they sign up for the program and have a private consultation area.
- The check-up lasts 30 to 45 minutes, in three steps, and ends with a Personalized Prevention Plan given to the patient.
- RDP billing: €30 in mainland France, €31.50 in the DROM, 100% French National Health Insurance, no extra fees, once per person per age bracket.
- The PPP and the risk-identification form are sent to the regular doctor, unless the patient objects.
- No mandatory training; optional EHESP modules.
How to organize this pathway with Sokrate
The Sokrate service lets patients prepare their prevention check-up in advance, with an adaptive online questionnaire whose structured summary is made available to the professional who carries out the check-up. The plan is signed by a doctor; a letter is sent to the regular doctor, unless the patient objects, and a care coordination nurse follows up on referrals. In a CPTS (a local health professional network — communauté professionnelle territoriale de santé), member pharmacies thus have the same tools as the doctors and nurses in the area. The details are described on the page Sokrate for CPTS.