Brussels, 6 February 2025 – Belgium’s National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (NIHDI) will stop reimbursing telephone consultations for general practitioners (GPs) from 15 February, following a decision by the National Medical-Mutual Commission (Medicomut).
The suspension, initially set to last until the end of June, aims to establish a clearer framework for remote consultations and address potential misuse, according to a report by Het Belang van Limburg on Thursday.
The move marks a shift in the country’s approach to telemedicine, which saw a surge in demand during the Covid-19 pandemic. While remote consultations have remained widely available across Belgium, the government has raised concerns over their financial sustainability.
Financial Concerns and Rising Costs
Currently, doctors receive €11.93 per telephone consultation, with €2 intended as a patient contribution. However, in practice, this fee is often not collected, as billing and processing the charge remotely is seen as administratively burdensome. As a result, NIHDI effectively reimburses around €10 per consultation to doctors.
The volume of telephone consultations has significantly increased over the past two years. In 2022, doctors billed NIHDI for 2.3 million such consultations.
That figure nearly tripled in 2023, reaching 6.3 million. Federal Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke (Vooruit) argued last year that the cost—amounting to tens of millions of euros annually—was unsustainable.
Establishing a New Framework
With the suspension in place, a working group will now assess the role of remote consultations and propose new regulations to prevent possible abuses.
While the specifics of these potential reforms remain unclear, the review is expected to examine cases where remote consultations may be overused or replacing in-person visits unnecessarily.
The decision has drawn mixed reactions from medical professionals. Some doctors argue that telephone consultations provide an essential service, particularly for elderly and vulnerable patients who may struggle to visit a GP in person. Others acknowledge that clearer guidelines are needed to ensure the system is not exploited.
Impact on Patients and Healthcare Providers
The immediate impact of the suspension means that patients may need to attend in-person consultations more frequently, potentially increasing waiting times for GP appointments.
While video consultations and other telemedicine services remain available, the extent to which they will be covered under a revised framework remains uncertain.
Healthcare professionals have expressed concerns about the potential burden on the system. “For many minor ailments, a telephone consultation can be just as effective as an in-person visit,” said one GP from Brussels.
“If these consultations are no longer reimbursed, we could see more overcrowding in clinics and longer wait times for essential care.”
The working group’s findings, expected later this year, will likely determine whether telephone consultations will be reinstated under new conditions or phased out as a reimbursable service altogether.
Until then, both doctors and patients will need to adapt to the changing landscape of primary healthcare in Belgium.
