A survey reveals 39% of healthcare providers failed to inform patients about costs and reimbursement, leading to fines and corrective actions.
Survey reveals poor patient information
A survey by the Direction générale de la concurrence, de la consommation et de la répression des fraudes (DGCCRF) found that many healthcare providers in France are not properly informing patients about care costs, reimbursement, and honorarium overruns. The findings were uncovered by the daily newspaper Libération.Inspection campaign targets healthcare providers
The DGCCRF, which is part of the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industrial, Energy and Digital Sovereignty, conducted a large-scale inspection from 2025 to 2026. The campaign aimed to ensure "fairness of price display and mandatory mentions" in medical offices and to check compliance with the "100% health" offer for dentists.Doctors face corrective action and sanctions
Among the 300 doctors inspected, about 100 were required to take corrective action, and about ten received sanctions. Doctors are required to display information such as their conventional status, service prices, and a standard phrase about honorarium overruns in waiting rooms and at payment locations.Violations found in radiology centers
More than half of the doctors inspected had at least one violation. One radiology center was fined 150,000 euros for misleading patients about the type of doctors they would see and for allowing three-quarters of its staff to charge honorarium overruns.Dentists also found non-compliant
Of the 525 dentists inspected, 189 were ordered to comply with regulations, and about thirty received sanctions, including fines. Over half of the dentists failed to display prices or information about their Social Security convention status, which affects patient reimbursement.Dentists missing required documentation
A quarter of the dentists inspected did not provide the required quotes or traceability documents for crowns and implants. Some documents contained inaccuracies about the origin of prostheses, with some incorrectly labeled as "Origin France."Unusual practices uncovered
Investigators found that some dentists had asked relatives to post favorable online reviews. Illegal practices were also observed in some collective practice structures, including billing for simple access or administrative fees.Most violations corrected
After the inspections, nearly 90% of the violations were corrected, according to the DGCCRF. As of October 1, 2026, the total amount of administrative fines imposed had exceeded 130,000 euros.
