The best private health checks in Paris, and how to choose

The three kinds of private health check in Paris

Private health checks in Paris come from three kinds of provider. A hospital runs a check-up centre with its own specialists and scanners in the building. A prevention centre sells a fixed package at a published price. A clinic group offers half day checks across its sites and gives each price on request [1].

ELSAN states that a health check is not reimbursed by the Sécurité sociale, so plan to pay for it yourself unless your employer or your mutuelle contributes [1]. Paris Prévention notes that an employer can include its check in a workplace wellbeing budget [2].

If French is not your first language, ask whether the doctor who gives you the results speaks English. The American Hospital of Paris states that its check-up staff are bilingual in French and English [3]. Zoī publishes its site in English as well as French [4]. Paris Prévention and Mieux write their pages in French and do not say which languages their doctors speak, so ask them before you book.

When a hospital check-up centre is the right answer

The American Hospital of Paris opened its Check-Up Center in 1991. A team of 40 health professionals, among them internists, cardiologists, gynaecologists, radiologists and dermatologists, carries out 10,000 checks a year [3]. Its general check takes half a day, and its cardiac, gynaecological and menopause programmes each take a full day [3].

At the closing consultation a doctor reports on your health and, if something abnormal is found, refers you on for follow-up [3]. Neither the Check-Up Center page nor its brochure shows a price [5]. A hospital centre suits someone who may need a specialist or a further scan within days, under the same roof.

The hospital also runs a Women's Risk assessment of breast cancer risk, and an option for smokers and former smokers that adds an ear, nose and throat consultation and three screening exams [5].

When a prevention centre is the right answer

Paris Prévention publishes its Premium check at €1,945 including VAT, in one place. It covers a clinical examination, blood and urine tests, an abdominal ultrasound by a radiologist, a cardiac examination with ECG and Doppler, an eye examination with retinal imaging, and hearing and lung tests. The coordinating doctor explains the results and can be reached by phone for 12 months [2].

Mieux has two centres in Paris and explains every result on the day, in a 30 minute meeting with a doctor in person [6]. Zoī Signature costs €4,990 including VAT for four and a half hours in a private suite at the Zoī centre, with more than 150 biomarkers and 12 months of follow-up in the Zoī app [7].

A prevention centre suits someone who wants a known price and one doctor who explains the whole picture. Ask who arranges a specialist or a further scan when a result needs one, and whether that is included in the price.

What the state covers, and what the law allows

Assurance Maladie offers a Mon bilan prévention appointment at four ages, between 18 and 25, 45 and 50, 60 and 65, and 70 and 75. It lasts 30 to 45 minutes with a doctor, pharmacist, midwife, nurse or physiotherapist, and Assurance Maladie covers it in full with nothing to pay upfront [8]. If you are in one of those age bands, it is a sensible first step before a private check.

Genetic tests follow stricter rules. In France a genetic test must be prescribed by a doctor in an individual consultation, the questions it raises are discussed in a genetic counselling consultation, and tests sold on the internet are forbidden, with fines and prison as the penalties [9]. A private check in Paris therefore includes a genetic test only when a doctor prescribes one for a medical reason.

Six questions to ask before you choose

These questions apply to every provider in this guide, and to us.

• Will a doctor go through every result with me in person, and in English if I ask?
• Which tests are included, and which are charged on top?
• Who reads the scans, and when will I have the written report?
• If a result needs a specialist, who arranges it and what does it cost?
• Will the same doctor see me again next year?
• Is any part of the check reimbursed, or do I pay for all of it?

Appointments in Paris

Our executive health assessment in Paris costs from €5,750. Anyone can request an appointment in Paris now.