The physiotherapist-led prevention check-up is an announced change, not yet applicable as of September 14, 2026: sante.fr already lists physiotherapists among the authorized professionals and the Centre-Val de Loire regional health agency (ARS) announces their inclusion “from October 2026,” whereas the decree (arrêté) of May 28, 2024 does not mention them. A decree of July 28, 2026 adds them as of October 1, 2026, at the common fee of €30.
We regularly refer our patients to physiotherapists: physiotherapists see their patients over long periods, often several times a week, and talk with them about movement, pain and lifestyle habits. This page reviews what the regulations say, what remains to be confirmed and what physiotherapists can contribute to Mon bilan prévention, France’s national prevention check-up program.
Can a physiotherapist carry out a prevention check-up in 2026?
As of September 14, 2026, no: the text in force, the decree of May 28, 2024 on the providers, content and billing terms of prevention appointments, lists only doctors, midwives, nurses and pharmacists. Yet the official sources do not all say the same thing, and it is this discrepancy that needs to be read correctly.
| Source consulted on September 14, 2026 | What it states | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Decree of May 28, 2024 (Légifrance) | Providers: doctors, midwives, nurses, pharmacists; physiotherapists are not included | Text in force until September 30, 2026 |
| ameli.fr professional pages (doctor, nurse, pharmacist, midwife) | Four provider professions; no “physiotherapist” page | Up to date with the 2024 text |
| sante.fr — Mon bilan prévention | “doctors (including your regular doctor), nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists and midwives” | Anticipates the entry into force |
| Centre-Val de Loire ARS | “From October 2026, physiotherapists will be able to carry out Mon Bilan Prévention appointments.” | Dated announcement |
| Decree of July 28, 2026 (Légifrance) | Repeals the 2024 decree; adds physiotherapists to the providers; enters into force on the first day of the second month following publication in the Journal officiel of August 2, 2026, i.e., October 1, 2026 | Published in the Journal officiel; applicable as of October 1, 2026 |
In practice, a physiotherapist who carried out and billed a prevention check-up before October 1, 2026 would be doing so outside the framework. After that date, the program is open to them under the same conditions as the other providers, subject to the points of detail we list below.
What does the decree of July 28, 2026 provide for physiotherapists?
The decree of July 28, 2026, published in Journal officiel No. 0179 of August 2, 2026, uses the exact title of the 2024 decree and repeals it. It keeps the four age brackets, the three steps, the Personalized Prevention Plan and the fee of €30 in mainland France and €31.50 in the overseas departments and regions (DROM), and extends the list of providers to physiotherapists.
What does not change
The four age brackets remain 18 to 25, 45 to 50, 60 to 65 and 70 to 75 inclusive, with only one check-up per person per bracket. The 30- to 45-minute length, full (100%) coverage with no upfront payment, and the ban on any extra fees are maintained. The Personalized Prevention Plan is given to the person and sent to their regular doctor (médecin traitant), unless they object. The general framework is outlined in the prevention check-up.
What is specific to physiotherapists and remains to be confirmed
The billing code assigned to physiotherapists has not yet been published on ameli.fr; early readings of the text suggest a code shared with nurses. The possibility of billing travel expenses for home visits, provided for nurses “under the same conditions as those set out in your agreement,” will need to be checked for physiotherapists. Finally, the list of additional procedures that can be billed on the same day if a need is identified is defined by profession; the list open to physiotherapists is not known at this time.
The figures in context
The French Ministry of Health, quoted by the professional press, states that “as of June 30, 2026, more than 612,000 check-ups have been carried out with a doctor, a nurse, a pharmacist or a midwife.” The French Order of Physiotherapists (Ordre des masseurs-kinésithérapeutes) welcomes a change that “fully recognizes the place of physiotherapists at the heart of the prevention program.”
What does the physiotherapist bring to the prevention check-up: physical activity, sedentary behavior, falls?
The ministry justifies the extension by “recognized expertise in physical activity, prevention of loss of independence, musculoskeletal health and the promotion of health-enhancing behaviors.” These four areas directly overlap with several official check-up topics: physical activity and sedentary behavior, aging, fall prevention.
Physical activity, a topic that spans all four ages
Physical activity and sedentary behavior are among the program’s topics in every age bracket. Physiotherapists know how to assess functional capacity, adapt a goal to chronic pain or a medical condition, and above all turn “move more” into a concrete plan: what type of activity, how often, with what progression, toward which local organization. This is exactly what the Personalized Prevention Plan expects of a goal.
Falls and loss of independence at ages 60–65 and 70–75
Fall prevention is the top topic for 70- to 75-year-olds and a growing concern from age 60. Physiotherapists assess balance, lower-limb strength, gait and the home environment; they know the adapted physical activity programs and balance workshops in their area. For people aged 60 and over, French National Health Insurance mentions the ICOPE digital tools for assessing intrinsic capacity, which includes locomotor function. We describe the priorities for these ages in the prevention check-up at ages 60–65 and the prevention check-up at ages 70–75.
Musculoskeletal health and sedentary work at ages 45–50
Low back pain, neck pain, work-related musculoskeletal disorders: physiotherapists already see these patients. The check-up makes it possible to link pain to sedentary behavior, sleep, work stress and cardiovascular risk, and to set a physical activity goal that serves all of these at once.
Ages 18–25: screens, sedentary behavior, sports and injuries
Among young adults, physiotherapists treat sports injuries and posture-related pain. The check-up broadens the conversation to sleep, addictions and mental health, based on the self-assessment questionnaire — one or two topics are chosen, never the whole list.
| Age bracket | What the physiotherapist already sees | PPP goals within their scope | What they should also address via the self-assessment questionnaire |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 to 25 | Sports injuries, posture-related pain | Regular activity, less time sitting | Mental health, addictions, sleep, sexual health, vaccinations, regular doctor |
| 45 to 50 | Low back pain, MSDs, sedentary work | Resuming or maintaining activity, active breaks | Tobacco, alcohol, cardiovascular risk, cancer screening, menopause |
| 60 to 65 | Osteoarthritis, recovery after an acute episode | Maintaining strength and balance | Screening, vaccinations, hearing and vision, isolation |
| 70 to 75 | Walking difficulties, fear of falling | Fall prevention, adapted physical activity | Undernutrition, cognitive function, medication review, isolation, caregivers |
How will the prevention check-up work with a physiotherapist?
As with the other providers: a 30- to 45-minute conversation in three steps, with no prior prescription, prepared through the self-assessment questionnaire and ending with a Personalized Prevention Plan (PPP) sent to the regular doctor. It is neither a physiotherapy diagnostic assessment nor a rehabilitation session.
Three steps, one conversation
The patient completes the self-assessment questionnaire for their age bracket in Mon espace santé (France’s personal digital health record) or as a PDF before the appointment. At the practice, the physiotherapist identifies risks using the risk-identification aid form, prioritizes one or two topics with the patient, then writes the PPP using the official template, drawing on the map of prevention resources on sante.fr, the French public health information portal, to include a local resource. The content of the plan is described in detail in the Personalized Prevention Plan.
What sets the check-up apart from a physiotherapy procedure
The physiotherapy diagnostic assessment (bilan-diagnostic kinésithérapique) and treatment sessions require a medical prescription; the prevention check-up is a separate procedure, open without a prescription to anyone in an age bracket, and focused on lifestyle habits. No functional examination is included as a step; if the risk review reveals a need for rehabilitation, the PPP refers the patient to the regular doctor for a prescription.
Sharing the plan and coordination
The PPP and the risk-identification form are sent to the regular doctor, unless the patient objects, via secure health messaging, through the shared medical record (dossier médical partagé) or by the patient. The physiotherapist is in the same position as a self-employed nurse: sharing the plan ensures that a screening or vaccination listed in it is not left without follow-up. The rules on the doctor’s and nurse’s side are in the prevention check-up carried out by a doctor and the prevention check-up carried out by a nurse.
How much will the physiotherapist-led prevention check-up pay, and how is it billed?
The fee is the program’s fee: €30 in mainland France, €31.50 in the DROM, fully covered (100%) by French National Health Insurance, with no upfront payment and no extra fees, once per person per age bracket, across all professionals. The procedure code to be used by physiotherapists has yet to be confirmed on ameli.fr.
This has two consequences. A patient who had their 70–75 check-up with their pharmacist cannot have it again with the physiotherapist for the same bracket: ask the question and check the shared medical record before starting. And the no-extra-fees rule has no exceptions: a physiotherapist who considers the fee insufficient is free not to sign up, but cannot carry out a “prevention check-up” at a different price. Codes by profession and billing pitfalls are in billing and coding for the prevention check-up.
How to prepare before October 2026: sign-up, training, organization?
Three tasks can be started now: signing up on sante.fr, getting to know the official tools and the EHESP modules, and identifying eligible patients in your active patient list.
Sign up on sante.fr
The Order describes the procedure: log in to the professional section of sante.fr with a CPS or e-CPS card (the French health professional smart card or its digital version) and indicate your participation in the program, which lists the practice in the directory of providers. This is where patients — and other professionals — look for a provider.
Training, with no obligation
No additional training is mandatory for current providers, and there is nothing to suggest it will be any different for physiotherapists. The modules on the platform of the French School of Public Health (École des hautes études en santé publique, EHESP), available free of charge after registration, cover motivational interviewing, the steps of the check-up and each age bracket. The resources are described in training for the prevention check-up.
Identify and coordinate
A physiotherapy practice’s active patient list includes many patients aged 60 to 75; the software can list those entering an age bracket. In a multi-professional health center (maison de santé) or within a CPTS (a local health professional network — communauté professionnelle territoriale de santé), sharing check-ups among providers avoids duplicates and supports the local prevention mission, described in the CPTS and prevention mission guide.
Which points remain to be confirmed before October 1, 2026?
Six points will be checked when the decree comes into force: the physiotherapists’ procedure code; travel expenses; the additional procedures allowed on the same day; the dedicated ameli.fr page; the opening of sign-up on sante.fr; the number of check-ups cited by the ministry. Until then, this page describes an announced change, not an established right.
Key takeaways
- As of September 14, 2026, the decree of May 28, 2024 in force does not mention physiotherapists; sante.fr and the Centre-Val de Loire ARS announce their inclusion “from October 2026.”
- A decree of July 28, 2026 (Journal officiel of August 2, 2026) repeals the 2024 text and adds physiotherapists as of October 1, 2026, to be checked on Légifrance.
- Common fee: €30 in mainland France, €31.50 in the DROM, 100% French National Health Insurance, no extra fees, once per age bracket; procedure code to be confirmed.
- What physiotherapists bring: physical activity and sedentary behavior at all ages, musculoskeletal health, prevention of falls and loss of independence.
- The check-up is a conversation with no prescription, separate from the diagnostic assessment and treatment sessions; the PPP is sent to the regular doctor, unless the patient objects.
How to organize this pathway with Sokrate
The Sokrate service lets patients prepare their prevention check-up before the appointment, with an adaptive online questionnaire — including physical activity and sedentary behavior — whose structured summary reaches the professional. 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. Multi-professional organizations preparing for the arrival of physiotherapists will find how it works on the pages Sokrate for CPTS and Sokrate for health centers.