How to have the family doctor and pediatrician
To be entitled to a general practitioner or a pediatrician of free choice, you must be registered with the National Health Service (SSN).
The choice of the family doctor or pediatrician can be made at the counter “Choice and revocation” of the Local Health Authority you belong to or online, through electronic health record, by consulting the list of doctors available in your health district.
It is not possible to choose a doctor who has already reached the maximum number of patients.
All foreign minors present on Italian territory, regardless of the presence and type of residence permit of their parents, have the right to compulsory registration with the NHS and to use the pediatrician or family doctor, on equal terms with Italian citizens.
If you are an Italian citizen returning from abroad
Italian citizens who transfer their residence to Italy after having taken it abroad can register with the SSN at the "Choice and revocation" desk of the local health authority of residence. Registration involves the assignment and choice of a general practitioner or pediatrician of free choice.
Italian citizens who have moved their registered residence abroad and are therefore registered in the Aire (the registry of Italians residing abroad) lose the right to healthcare in Italy, including the right to the assignment of a family doctor. The exceptions are workers under Italian law who are posted abroad, citizens with emigrant status (those who have acquired Italian citizenship on national territory, born in Italy) and holders of pensions paid by Italian social security institutions who returning temporarily to Italy, in the absence of public or private insurance coverage, have the right to free emergency hospital services for a maximum period of 90 days in a year and to a general practitioner through the occasional visits.
However, at a regional level temporary registration with a general practitioner could also be guaranteed. For further information it is best to consult the local health authority in question.
If you are an EU citizen
Citizens of a country that is part of the European Union, the European Economic Area or Switzerland, who stay in Italy for a period exceeding three months (with the exception of seasonal workers, for whom the period may be even shorter), have the right to register with the NHS and to use all services, including assistance from a general practitioner, in the conditions described here (under the headings “mandatory registration” and “voluntary registration”).
Those who do not meet the requirements for registration with the NHS can still access the Italian healthcare service according to the following methods: eni code (non-registered European), issued to poor EU citizens, team card (European health insurance card) and paid access. These methods, as a rule, do not give the right to the assignment of a personal GP. Depending on the case, however, it may be possible to resort to occasional visits of the general practitioner or family pediatrician.
To find out how to access the NHS and the services offered, download theApp “La tua salute” created by the INMP (National Institute for the promotion of the health of migrant populations and the fight against diseases of poverty), available for Google play and IOS.
If you are a non-EU citizen
Citizens who come from non-EU countries, who stay in Italy for a period exceeding three months (with the exception of seasonal workers, for whom the period may be shorter), have the right to register with the NHS and use all services, including the assistance of a general practitioner, if they fall within the conditions described here (under the headings “mandatory registration” and “voluntary registration”).
Those who do not meet the requirements for registration with the NHS can still access the Italian healthcare service according to the following methods: Stp code and paid access. Both do not give the right to choose a family doctor.
To find out how to access the NHS and the services offered, download theApp “La tua salute” created by the INMP (National Institute for the promotion of the health of migrant populations and the fight against diseases of poverty), available for Google play and IOS.
How to change your doctor
If necessary, it is always possible to change and choose a new general practitioner or pediatrician of free choice, at the "Choice and revocation" desk of the relevant local health authority or via an online procedure by accessing the electronic health record.
How to have the family doctor and pediatrician without residency
FOR STAYS LONGER THAN THREE MONTHS
Anyone who moves for more than three months to a municipality other than the one of residence (in the same region or outside the region) for proven study, work or health reasons can request "health domicile", i.e. temporary registration with the Local health authority where you have your domicile, which allows you to have a local GP (as well as receiving invitations to oncology screenings at your temporary home address).
The application can be submitted to the "Choice and Revocation" office of the local health authority of destination or sent by email to the address indicated by the health company. But first it is necessary to remove yourself from the list of assisted persons of the local health authority of residence.
The "health home" is valid for a maximum of one year and the interested party can renew the request if the conditions required to obtain it exist.
Who has the right to "healthcare home”?
- Off-site students;
- Workers who carry out their work in a city other than their city of residence;
- Chronically ill;
- Invalids;
- Elderly people in need of assistance.
What documents must be presented?
- health insurance card;
- identity card;
- self-certification of domicile;
- certificate of cancellation from the general practitioner issued by the local health authority of residence;
- completed health home application (the form can be downloaded from the ASL website);
- certificate attesting one of the necessary requirements (employment contract, certificate of attendance of the course of studies, certificate of stay for health reasons issued by a specialist doctor of the NHS).
OCCASIONAL VISITS
Anyone who occasionally finds themselves in an area outside the local health authority of residence for a period of less than three months (or for a longer duration but without having the necessary requirements to obtain medical home), for holiday or other reasons, can contact to a general practitioner or pediatrician of free choice belonging to the local health district for visits that cannot be postponed. The health services provided by the doctor in this case are paid for, but the Regions can identify particular categories of people to whom they can guarantee reimbursement from the local health authority of residence by presenting the receipt for the costs incurred.
The tariffs foreseen at national level are:
Doctor of general medicine
- outpatient visit: 20 euros
- home visit: 35 euros
Pediatrician of free choice
- outpatient visit: 30 euros
- home visit: 45 euros
For example, non-resident tourists, including foreigners, and Italian citizens residing abroad temporarily in Italy can take advantage of occasional paid visits. For urgent services it is recommended to go to the emergency room.
Choice of family doctor outside the local health authority of residence (requested as an exception)
In particular cases it is possible to request the assistance of a general practitioner or a pediatrician of free choice who are located in a health district other than that of your residence.
The conditions for resorting to the exceptional choice of the treating doctor, in general, are:
- guarantee continuity of care for chronic pathologies or disabilities with the same doctor in the event of a change of residence;
- proximity and better road conditions to access the required doctor's surgery;
- continuation of the fiduciary relationship as long as the doctor operates in a neighboring district;
- reunification with a cohabiting family member already under the care of that doctor;
- other cases that will be evaluated by the health company.
It is important that the distance between the patient's home and the clinic allows the doctor to be able to carry out visits in person in an adequate amount of time.
To request an exemption, a specific form must be filled out (downloadable from the local health authority's website) and submitted to the "Choice and Revocation" office or sent via email (to the address indicated by the local health authority). The request, after having been evaluated and accepted by your local health authority and the destination, is valid for one year and is renewable.
The continuity of care service (formerly on call)
The family doctor and pediatrician's clinic is generally open 5 days a week, from Monday to Friday. The continuity of care service (formerly on call) ensures interventions that cannot be postponed the following day, in an outpatient clinic or at home, during times when the attending doctor is not on duty:
- weeknights and holidays from 8pm to 8am;
- Saturday and on the days before holidays from 10am to 8pm;
- Sunday and public holidays from 8am to 8pm.
The telephone number to contact and the address of the local offices are published on the ASL website.
For them emergency situations we recommend calling the number 118 or the single European emergency number 112 (where active) or, if conditions allow, to go directly to the emergency room.
