Life Sciences Horizons Brochure 2025 - Flipbook - Page 106
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2025 Horizons Life Sciences and Health Care
Regulation of health centers in France: Stricter oversight and new compliance hurdles
The French health care sector has changed
significantly in recent years, attracting growing
interest from financial investors due to its high
profitability. While these investments can help
improve technology and processes, the regulatory
framework remains complex, leading to alternative
models, such as health centers.
As a result, private health care services in France have been under
closer scrutiny from regulatory and administrative authorities,
especially after several public health scandals. Many of these
scandals involved health centers, which are regulated by the
French Public Health Code. To address these issues, a new law
was adopted on 19 May 2023, specifically targeting health centers
offering dental, ophthalmological, and orthoptic services.
The law aims to prevent profit-driven partnerships with
private companies.
To avoid potential abuses in patient care – especially since
treatments are often reimbursed by public health insurance –
the 2023 law introduced several key measures:
Mandatory prior approval from administrative authorities;
Stricter conflict-of-interest rules for health center managers;
Requirements for staff qualifications and human
resources; and
Increased penalties for non-compliant health centers.
Most of the necessary regulations to enforce this law were
adopted in 2024. A key decree No. 2024-568, 20 June 2024,
clarified the approval process and listed required documents.
Another law dated 27 December 2024 allowed financial authorities
to audit health centers, while other decrees adjusted health center
funding and established rules for excluding certain centers from
public health insurance reimbursements. This exclusion applies
when authorities identify abuses, such as unnecessary
medical treatments.
At the same time, 2024 saw a rise in reimbursement exclusions
for health centers, showing increased government oversight
and stricter enforcement. Many of these sanctions have been
challenged, but they reflect a tightening of controls.
A few final regulations are still expected, but authorities are
already actively monitoring compliance with the new legal
framework. As investors, particular attention must be given to the
structuring of investments in health centers to ensure compliance
with the new legal and regulatory requirements.
Mikael Salmela
Partner
Paris
Joséphine Pour
Senior Associate
Paris
