Referral by the general practitioner
Do you need a specialist, such as an ophthalmologist, gynaecologist or neurologist? Then ask your general practitioner for a referral. For each specialty, you are entitled to one lower-cost consultation per year, if you meet the conditions. Read all about it on this page.
How can you consult a specialist at a lower cost?
You can consult a specialist at a lower cost if the following 2 conditions are met:
- You have a global medical record.
- A general practitioner has referred you to one of the following specialists:
- the gynaecologist/obstetrician
- the internist
- the cardiologist
- the ophthalmologist
- the geriatrician
- the neurologist
- the ENT specialist
- the gastroenterologist
- the psychiatrist
- the urologist
- the paediatrician
- the rheumatologist
- the stomatologist
- the neuropsychiatrist
- the pulmonologist
- the dermato‑venereologist
- the endocrino‑diabetologist
Important: Per specialty, you are entitled to only one reduced‑cost consultation per year! For example, one reduced‑cost consultation per year with a gynaecologist, one per year with a urologist, etc.
Have you already opened a global medical record with your general practitioner? Check it right away in your file, because it allows you to pay a lower co-payment for your visits to the GP.
What does ‘at a lower cost’ mean for you?
If the conditions are met, you can consult a specialist at a lower cost because your personal contribution is significantly reduced.
In other words:
- If the specialist does not apply the third-party payer system, you pay the same amount as usual (the same fee), but the health insurance fund reimburses you for a larger portion of the amount.
- If the specialist applies the third-party payer system, you immediately pay a lower personal contribution (co-payment) to the specialist.
Who does what if you can see a specialist at a lower cost?
Explain what your symptoms are and why you would like to consult a specialist.
- a certificate of care provided
- a medical referral letter
- a completed referral form
- your medical referral letter
- the completed referral form
- the completed referral form (which you will receive back)
- a certificate of care provided
- the certificate of care provided by the general practitioner (you may also submit this certificate to your health insurance fund earlier: this can already be done immediately after step 2).
- the completed referral form and the certificate of care provided by the specialist, which together entitle you to a higher reimbursement.
- of the amount you paid to the general practitioner (if you already submitted the certificate of care provided to your health insurance fund earlier, the fund may already have reimbursed this amount).
- of the amount you paid to the specialist (higher reimbursement because you met the conditions).
Good to know
Your general practitioner manages your global medical record, but that does not mean you cannot consult another general practitioner or change general practitioners. You are free to entrust your global medical record to another general practitioner. Your “new” general practitioner will then request your global medical record from your “previous” general practitioner.
