You leave a French doctor’s appointment with a stack of papers. Some are prescriptions, some are reimbursement forms, some are referrals — and if your French is not yet strong, they all look similar. This guide explains what each document is, what it means, and what to do with it.
L’ordonnance (the prescription)
The most common document you will receive. An ordonnance lists medications prescribed by the doctor, with dosage and duration. In France, prescriptions are typically white and handwritten or printed on a pad with the doctor’s stamp.
Key fields to look for:
- Le nom du médicament — the medication name (often the generic dénomination commune internationale or the brand name)
- La posologie — dosage instructions (e.g., 1 comprimé matin et soir pendant 7 jours)
- La durée du traitement — length of treatment
- La date — prescriptions are generally valid for 3 months from the date of issue
- La signature et le cachet du médecin — doctor’s signature and stamp (required for the pharmacy to dispense)
Ordonnances can be renouvelables (renewable) for chronic conditions. The number of renewals allowed is noted on the prescription. Full vocabulary for medications and treatment instructions is in the medication vocabulary guide.
La feuille de soins (the treatment form)
This is the reimbursement document. When you receive care, the doctor or healthcare provider fills in a feuille de soins that you submit to your CPAM (health insurance fund) for reimbursement. In most cases today, the feuille de soins is transmitted electronically using your carte Vitale — you never see a paper version.
However, if you did not have your carte Vitale, you may receive a paper feuille de soins (often yellow). You submit it yourself to the CPAM, along with your attestation de droits, within the validity period.
La carte Vitale
The carte Vitale is your electronic health insurance card. It is green, credit card-sized, and contains your health insurance information. Presenting it at any healthcare appointment ensures your treatment costs are transmitted automatically to the CPAM for reimbursement.
Important details:
- It does not replace a mutuelle (supplementary insurance) — the CPAM reimburses only a portion of costs (often 70%); the mutuelle covers the rest
- It must be updated at a pharmacy terminal (borne de mise à jour) periodically
- If you do not have one yet, request it from your CPAM after registration — it takes 4–6 weeks to arrive
Le compte rendu médical (the medical report)
After a consultation with a specialist, hospital stay, or diagnostic procedure, you may receive a compte rendu. This is a detailed written record of findings, diagnoses, and recommendations addressed to your médecin traitant (GP).
Typical sections in a compte rendu:
- Motif de consultation — reason for the visit
- Antécédents — medical history
- Examen clinique — clinical examination findings
- Résultats des examens — test results (blood, imaging, etc.)
- Conclusion / Diagnostic — diagnosis
- Traitement proposé / Conduite à tenir — proposed treatment plan
For healthcare professionals, familiarity with these sections and common abbreviations is essential. The French medical abbreviations guide covers the most frequent ones.
Le bulletin d’hospitalisation and le compte rendu d’hospitalisation
After a hospital stay, you receive a bulletin de sortie (discharge summary) and later a full compte rendu d’hospitalisation. The discharge summary contains:
- Diagnosis at admission and at discharge
- Procedures performed
- Medications prescribed at discharge
- Follow-up instructions (consignes de sortie) and appointments
Always keep these documents. They are important references for future consultations and for your mutuelle.
L’attestation de droits (proof of healthcare rights)
This is an official document from your CPAM proving that you are registered and entitled to health insurance reimbursements. It is required by some employers, some mutuelles, and some social services. You can download it from your Ameli account (the CPAM online portal).
It differs from the carte Vitale — the attestation is a printable proof document; the carte Vitale is the physical card used at point of care.
The prescription for medical imaging or blood tests
When a doctor orders a test, they give you an ordonnance pour analyses or an ordonnance pour imagerie médicale. You take this to a laboratoire d’analyses (blood test lab) or a radiology centre. The results (résultats d’analyses) are sent back to your doctor and to you.
Common lab abbreviations on results sheets are explained in the medical abbreviations guide. For a broader grounding in French healthcare culture and patient communication, how French hospitals work provides essential context.