France Reimbursement for AI Echocardiography
Coding and reimbursement pathways in France for echocardiography under the Classification Commune des Actes Médicaux (CCAM), Assurance Maladie's national fee schedule administered by CNAM.
Reimbursement Landscape in France
Echocardiography in France is reimbursed through CCAM under Assurance Maladie. Convention secteur 1 physicians bill the published tariff; secteur 2 physicians may apply dépassements d'honoraires (extra fees) within professional rules. Inpatient activity flows into the T2A (tarification à l'activité) GHS system.
CCAM Outpatient
DZQM006 (TTE with Doppler) is the most common echocardiography code in French outpatient cardiology. Doppler is bundled into the code rather than billed as an add-on as in some other European systems.
T2A / GHS Inpatient
Inpatient hospital activity is paid through Groupes Homogènes de Séjour (GHS) under tarification à l'activité (T2A). CCAM codes are recorded on the case but bundled within the GHS payment rather than separately tariffed.
Conventions & Sector 2
Convention secteur 1 doctors bill the CCAM tariff in full. Secteur 2 (honoraires libres) physicians may apply additional fees within professional limits; common in private and self-employed cardiology practice.
Relevant CCAM Codes
Five CCAM codes cover the bulk of echocardiography activity in France. Codes are alphanumeric and structured (Z = thoracic, Q = Doppler / functional).
TTE Doppler (Most Common)
Échographie-doppler transthoracique du cœur et des vaisseaux intrathoraciques.
Tariff: €94.28 effective 5 November 2025 (down from €98.21, a −4% adjustment under the UNCAM 2025–2027 imaging tariff plan). DZQM006 is the workhorse outpatient TTE code in France; Doppler is bundled. AI-assisted measurement and reporting supports the cardiologist's interpretation within this code.
TTE Doppler at Bedside
Échographie-doppler transthoracique du cœur, au lit du patient.
Tariff: €110.74 effective 5 November 2025 (down from €113.00 under the UNCAM −2% adjustment for this code). Used when the cardiologist performs a complete Doppler TTE at the patient bedside rather than in the echo lab, common in hospital ward and ICU settings.
Transoesophageal Echo (TEE)
Échographie-doppler du cœur et des vaisseaux intrathoraciques par voie œsophagienne.
Tariff: €144.72. TEE for valvular and intra-cardiac assessment, typically reported by cardiologists or anaesthesiologists in hospital settings.
Stress Echocardiography
Échographie-doppler transthoracique continue avec épreuve pharmacologique de stress.
Tariff: approximately €165.80 effective 5 November 2025 (down from €172.71, −4% under the UNCAM imaging tariff plan). Pharmacological stress echo (dobutamine) is the most commonly reported form. AI-assisted strain and EF support pre- and peak-stress interpretation.
Contrast Echocardiography
Échographie-doppler transthoracique avec injection IV de produit de contraste ultrasonore.
Tariff: €108.85. UEA (ultrasound enhancing agent) is reported separately from the underlying TTE code when contrast is administered for LV opacification or perfusion assessment.
CCAM tariffs are pre-modificateur and reflect the post 5 November 2025 schedule under the UNCAM 2025–2027 imaging tariff plan. Modificateurs (e.g. K for paediatric, U for urgent/night) and secteur 2 dépassements may apply. Inpatient activity flows through T2A / GHS bundled payment under the ATIH annual MCO tariff campaign rather than per-CCAM-code tariffs. Verify against the live Assurance Maladie schedule at ameli.fr.
Model the impact on your service
Enter your annual echo volume and CCAM tariff context to estimate net new capacity from AI-assisted reporting.
Reimbursement by Care Setting
Payment routes differ between conventional outpatient cardiology (CCAM tariff direct), private hospital (clinique privée) PMSI billing, and public hospital (CHU / CH) under T2A / GHS.
Outpatient Cardiology
Cardiologues libéraux (private-practice cardiologists) bill CCAM directly. Convention secteur determines whether dépassements apply.
Tiers payant (third-party payment) for ALD and CMU patients; otherwise patient pays then is reimbursed by Assurance Maladie and any mutuelle / complémentaire.
Public Hospital (T2A / GHS)
Echo studies in CHU / CH inpatient settings are bundled into the GHS payment for the admission; CCAM codes are recorded on the case for activity reporting and PMSI grouping.
AI-assisted reporting in this setting supports cardiology throughput and shorter length of stay rather than direct additional reimbursement.
Private Hospital (Clinique)
Cliniques privées under T2A bill GHS for the établissement and cardiologists separately bill CCAM for the professional fee within the admission.
French Procurement & Regulatory Context
AI echocardiography software in French hospitals and clinics is assessed against EU MDR / CE marking, the HDS (Hébergeur de Données de Santé) requirement, and CNIL data protection.
EU MDR & CE Marking
AI software classified as a medical device is regulated under EU MDR (Regulation 2017/745) and requires CE marking with the appropriate notified body certificate. Us2.ai is CE marked Class IIb (Cert 743947).
HDS Hosting
Patient data hosted in France must be on an HDS-certified (Hébergeur de Données de Santé) infrastructure. EU-region cloud providers and on-premise deployments meeting HDS attestation are supported.
CNIL & GDPR
GDPR applies with CNIL as supervisory authority. A Data Processing Agreement is standard; a Délégué à la Protection des Données (DPO) reviews medical AI deployments alongside HAS guidance where applicable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about echocardiography coding and reimbursement in France.
What is CCAM and how does it pay for echocardiography?
What happened in the November 2025 CCAM revision?
How does T2A / GHS work for hospital echo?
Is Us2.ai CE marked for use in France?
Does Us2.ai support HDS hosting?
Are there France-specific codes for AI echocardiography?
How does HAS interact with AI medical software?
Where can I get France-specific reimbursement guidance?
Important Information
Information is provided for general informational purposes only and is not a guarantee of coverage or reimbursement. CCAM tariffs, modificateurs, conventions, and T2A / GHS weights are subject to change. Providers should verify against the current Assurance Maladie schedule. CCAM is maintained by CNAM under the Ministère de la Santé.
Questions about France Reimbursement?
Our team can support business cases for private-practice cardiology, cliniques privées, and public hospital cardiology services with current CCAM context, EU MDR documentation, and clinical evidence.
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