Doctors in france to receive €1,000 bonus for prescribing fewer drugs

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ONE-THIRD OF DOCTORS ARE ALREADY ELIGIBLE FOR THE BONUS AS THEY PRESCRIBE LESS MEDICINE THAN THE NATIONAL AVERAGE Doctors in France are to be given a bonus of €1,000 if they reduce the


amount of medicine they prescribe, as part of plans to combat France’s Social Security deficit.  The measure, new for 2025, sees doctors who prescribe less than the national average – which


around one-third of all practitioners already do – automatically receive the bonus, with the rest having to prescribe 10% fewer drugs than in 2024 to obtain this prime.  Despite the


projected cost of the initiative being tens of millions of euros, it should result in savings to the annual Social Security budget, as the cost of the bonuses will be less than the reduction


in social security reimbursements for medicines. In addition to monetary savings it will reduce medical waste at a time where France consistently faces medicine shortages. Around €123


million worth of unused medicine is thrown away monthly in France, with much of this funded at least in part by state reimbursement.  Read more: Why is there such a row in France over who


owns Doliprane? 25% REDUCTION IN ANTIBIOTIC PRESCRIPTIONS It is hoped that the promise of monetary reward should see doctors give more thought to the medicines they offer and in what


quantity. This could help to reduce the number of antibiotics and other medicines in circulation in the country.  “Our objective is to reach the European average, i.e. to reduce antibiotic


drug consumption by 25% by 2027,” said Marguerite Cazeneuve, deputy director of France’s national insurance fund (Caisse Nationale de l’Assurance maladie, CNAM) to French media outlet TF1.


Tougher restrictions on prescriptions of certain powerful painkillers including tramadol will come into force in March.  The changes were meant to take place before the new year but were


delayed to allow pharmacies more time to update their prescription systems. Read more: New date set for stricter painkiller prescription rules in France