https://www.irdes.fr/Publications/Qes/Qes124.pdf
Le dispositif du médecin traitant constitue l’un des éléments centraux de la réforme de l’Assurance maladie du 13 août 2004. Bien que non obligatoire, il est encouragé par des
incitations financières à partir de janvier 2006

and same text in English:
Implemented in January 2006
The “Preferred Doctor ” scheme is considered as a core element of the August 13th 2004 French Public Health Insurance reform. Even though not compulsory, it contains
several financial incentives directed toward patients.



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https://www.irdes.fr/EspaceAnglais/Publications/WorkingPaper...

The preferred doctor scheme: A political reading of a French experiment of Gate-keeping.



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or perhaps "primary doctor". It seems to refer to a system where patients are given financial incentives to register with a GP who then coordinates further care from specialists as needed rather than the patient approaching specialists directly.


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Note added at 1 hr (2023-03-15 17:21:34 GMT)
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or perhaps "primary doctor". It seems to refer to a system where patients are given financial incentives to register with a GP who then coordinates further care from specialists as needed rather than the patient approaching specialists directly.


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Note added at 1 hr (2023-03-15 17:22:02 GMT)
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https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S01688...
In 2005, France implemented a gatekeeping reform designed to improve care coordination and to reduce utilization of specialists’ services. Under this policy, patients designate a médecin traitant, typically a general practitioner, who will be their first point of contact during an episode of care and who will provide referrals to specialists. A key element of the policy is that patients who self-refer to a specialist face higher cost sharing than if they received a referral from their médecin traitant.

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Note added at 3 hrs (2023-03-15 19:26:15 GMT)
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Finally this is a WHO publication:
https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/333038

In 2004, this scheme was replaced by the “preferred doctor scheme”. Under this system, each patient is asked to choose a physician as his/her first point of contact with the health care system, except with respect to certain specialists (gynaecologists, obstetricians, ophthalmologists, psychiatrists, neuropsychiatrists and paediatricians). The system is backed by financial incentives that are mainly directed towards patients.
If a patient has not registered with a preferred doctor (usually a GP), has registered with a preferred doctor but nevertheless visits another GP or visits a specialist without a GP referral, the SHI rate of coverage drops from 70% to 30%.