Medical teleconsultation in France is framed within an increasingly strict regulatory context. Since the publication of amendment 10 to the medical convention in the Official Journal on March 4, 2024, platforms like Livi must comply with enhanced obligations regarding traceability and territorialization of services. In this context, the question of Livi’s reliability frequently arises among patients who are hesitant between in-person consultations and teleconsultations.
Amendment 10 and IGAS report: what changes concretely for Livi teleconsultations
The strengthening of the coordinated care pathway directly modifies the experience on Livi. For a consultation to be reimbursed, the patient must now be more systematically directed to a primary care physician or a local facility. “100% remote medical practices” are now more strictly regulated.
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The General Inspectorate of Social Affairs (IGAS) published a report on telemedicine in December 2023 that pointed out commercial platforms. This report highlights risks associated with the fragmentation of medical follow-up when the patient consults different practitioners with each connection. For Livi, this means that continuity of care remains a major point of vigilance.
In practice, a patient consulting on Livi to renew a prescription may not necessarily see the same doctor. Field feedback varies on this point: some users report having found their usual practitioner on the platform, while others describe a systematic rotation. This variability partly depends on the specialty and the chosen time slots.
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To delve deeper into reviews of Livi and its reliability, it is essential to distinguish feedback related to technical service from that concerning the quality of medical care itself.
User reviews on Livi: what the ratings on the stores reveal
On the App Store, Livi has a rating of 4.9 out of 5 from over 148,000 reviews. This score, among the highest in the teleconsultation sector in France, should be viewed with perspective. Mobile stores structurally favor positive ratings: applications often prompt users to rate after a successful experience, and dissatisfied users are more likely to turn to other channels.
Recurring positive reviews mention several elements:
- The speed of access to a doctor, including on weekends and evenings, in a context of a shortage of available practitioners in offices
- The ability to import test results and prescriptions before the consultation, allowing the practitioner to prepare their diagnosis
- The automation of transmitting the report to the primary care physician, described as a strong point for following the care pathway
The most detailed criticisms focus on structural limitations. The inability to extend a sick leave via teleconsultation frequently comes up. This restriction is not specific to Livi; it is a regulatory matter, but it generates frustration among patients who expected a comprehensive service.
Data security and European interoperability of Livi
Since 2024, Livi has been integrated into the European E-health Digital Service Infrastructure (eHDSI). In practice, electronic prescriptions issued on the platform can be read and used in several EU countries participating in the MyHealth@EU project. This point mainly concerns cross-border or mobile patients in Europe.
This interoperability, confirmed in the 2024 eHDSI reports from the European Commission, distinguishes Livi from some competitors like Qare or Medadom, whose integration into this network is not documented at the same level. European interoperability is an indicator of technical compliance with the latest standards in digital health.
Hosting and regulatory compliance
Livi operates as a Swedish platform (a subsidiary of Kry) subject to European regulations on health data. The data of French patients are hosted according to the requirements of the GDPR and the HDS framework (Health Data Hosting) applicable in France.
The available data do not allow for conclusions about any past security incidents. No major vulnerabilities have been publicly documented, but the absence of reporting does not equate to proof of invulnerability.
Livi compared to other teleconsultation platforms: Qare and Medadom
The choice between Livi, Qare, and Medadom largely depends on the patient’s needs. Comparing a few key criteria helps to position the platform:
- Livi offers access from 6 AM to midnight, 7 days a week, covering a wide time range but not the middle of the night
- Medadom focuses more on teleconsultation kiosks installed in pharmacies, a hybrid model that reassures patients hesitant about fully digital services
- Qare operates similarly to Livi in terms of mobile application, with comparable user feedback on the speed of care
None of these platforms replace regular medical follow-up with a practitioner who knows the patient’s history. Amendment 10 to the medical convention goes in this direction by limiting intensive use of teleconsultation without connection to the care pathway.
The reliability of Livi is ultimately measured on two distinct axes. The first, technical, concerns the stability of the application, data security, and regulatory compliance: on these points, the platform meets current criteria. The second, medical, relates to the quality of remote diagnosis and continuity of follow-up. It is on this second axis that user feedback is most divided, and where the regulatory changes of 2024 weigh the most heavily.