After trials in several departments, the digital Vitale card will gradually be generalized throughout France. A decree which entered into force on 1 January 2023 regulates its deployment.
What will the dematerialized Vitale card look like?
The Vitale e-card will take the form of a mobile application, called “apCV”, which can be downloaded free of charge on your smartphone or tablet.
Once downloaded, you will need to follow the steps below to activate it:
- enter your social security number;
- make a video capture of your identity card;
- take a video selfie;
- set a four-digit password to protect your data.
What data will the digital Vitale card contain?
The “apCV” application will contain the following information:
- the identification data of the holder, including the registration number in the national identification list of natural persons;
- a photographer;
- a postal or electronic address of the holder;
- technical data to ensure the implementation of electronic signature functions, to protect access to card information and to authenticate the card as a health card and to identify its holder;
- National Health Identification Number (INS);
- card usage tracking data.
How to use it ?
During the consultation, the healthcare professional will have two options for reading the digital vital card:
- scan the QR code displayed in the app;
- use an NFC compatible reader on which the patient will place his smartphone. However, this technology is not available on iPhones and some Android smartphones.
Why a digital Vitale card?
The app will offer new advantages over the physical Vitale card.
As insured, will allow you to directly consult your health expense receipts. They will be downloaded automatically, up to 7 days after consultation, and will be available without limits.
Eventually, new features will allow you to:
- delegate the use of your Vitale card to a trusted person for a specific time (for example, if you are ill and cannot go to the pharmacy);
- be able to identify you securely to other digital health services.
As a professionalthe application:
- I will avoid oversights. “There is a greater possibility that patients have their Vitale card with their smartphone, and therefore the guarantee of always being able to make a remote transmission”provides health insurance on its website;
- reduce the risk of errors and refusals in the invoice thanks to automatic access to the ADRi right service;
- reduce the risk of manual contamination;
- it will allow access to Health Insurance services and functionalities, such as Sesam Vitale invoicing, access to the integrated teleservices of the Compulsory Health Insurance (AMO) and, for pharmacists, to the Pharmaceutical File (PD).
What is the distribution schedule?
After a test phase in several departments including the Rhône and Alpes-Maritimes, the implementation of the digital Vitale card will be carried out according to a schedule established by the national health insurance funds and must be completed by 31 December 2025 at the latest , says the decree.
Is the data safe?
“The Vitale card app has the same level of security as the physical card”, specifies Medicare on its website. The only data stored are surnames, first name(s), gender, status (right to open, child, etc.) and the mandatory organization to which they are connected. Furthermore, each use will require double authentication: via the insured’s smartphone and via a personal secret code.
Will it become mandatory?
For now, the Vitale electronic card will be an alternative to the physical card. But once the full deployment is complete, the user will have to choose between the two paper sizes.