Pharmacy model casamed pharm
400 times the help with no appointments or waiting times
Suddenly ill? casamed pharm is the basic insurance plan that makes around 400 Sympany partner pharmacies available to you throughout Switzerland. You will receive medical help in a separate room, of course, without having to wait. If necessary, a doctor is consulted by phone. Alternatively, you can contact the Medgate telemedical centre at any time via the app or by phone (+41 844 852 852).
Brief overview of the casamed pharm pharmacy model
Advantages:
- You get a discount on your premiums. Find out more about the premium discount here >
- Whenever you have a complaint, you will be able to choose between going to the pharmacy or making a phone call.
- With Medgate, you will receive 24/7 telemedical advice and treatment by Medgate doctors by phone or video using the Medgate app – with no sitting in waiting rooms. All telemedical benefits will be free of charge for you: Sympany will cover all costs with no franchise or deductible.
- Consultations at the pharmacy will take place in a separate room. Simple examinations can be carried out there and then. You choose any pharmacy from our list whenever you have a health complaint – this way, you will get help quickly even while away travelling. Sympany will bear the costs of the pharmacy consultation. You will only pay for or contribute towards material costs, for example if a bandage is applied.
Disadvantages:
- You don’t get a free choice of doctor and will have to abide by the rules of the pharmacy model.
- You can’t go directly to a medical practice, but will instead have to contact a partner pharmacy or Medgate every time. You will only be sent to a medical or specialist practice if required.
There are three main differences between the standard model of basic insurance and the casamed pharm pharmacy model:
- casamed pharm: You get a discount on your premiums. Find out more about the premium discount >
classic: You pay a regular premium with no discount. - casamed pharm: If you have a health complaint, your first point of contact will be one of around 400 partner pharmacies or Medgate. Sympany covers the cost of pharmacy consultations and all telemedical benefits, with no cost contribution.
classic: You have a free choice of doctor and may also use Medgate telemedicine. In doing so, you will contribute towards the costs with a franchise and/or deductible. - casamed pharm: You will have to follow the treatment plan of the pharmacy or Medgate (see rules).
classic: Medgate’s treatment plan is a recommendation and, from a medical perspective, is best suited to cure your complaints.
The pharmacy model is a savings scheme, also known as a Managed Care model. Unlike the standard model, you do not go directly to any medical practice, you contact a partner pharmacy or Medgate. Your first point of contact will find the right treatment for you. This coordination cuts costs and you receive a discount on your premiums.
Sympany’s pharmacy model is perfect for me. There is a partner pharmacy close to my boutique. They know me there and that’s a really good feeling. I am expertly advised and referred directly to a specialist when necessary.
Stephanie Lang, 42, boutique owner
Useful links about the pharmacy model
How the casamed pharm pharmacy model works
- If you’re ill, always contact a Sympany partner pharmacy or the Medgate telemedical centre first.
- Your contact coordinates your treatment and, if necessary, refers you to your family doctor, a specialist or the hospital. You can visit an ophthalmologist, gynaecologist, paediatrician or emergency department directly – no need for a referral. (But: emergency treatment must be reported to Medgate within five days.)
- In the pharmacy model, you pay between 9 and 13.5% less in premiums than for a model with a free choice of doctor.*
Telemedical advice and treatment – over the phone or via the Medgate app
Medgate telemedicine: +41 844 852 852
Or book a doctor’s appointment online >
Medgate’s telephone/video consultations are available 24/7. Please have your customer number (9 digits) ready. You will find this number on your insurance card, policy or benefit statement.
Sympany covers the costs for telemedical treatment and advice for all casamed pharm policyholders. Calls to Medgate telemedicine will be billed at your usual rate.
What does it mean if I choose casamed pharm as my basic insurance?
With casamed pharm, around 400 Sympany partner pharmacies and Medgate’s telemedical team of doctors throughout Switzerland are available to help you if you fall ill. The casamed pharm product leaflet explains exactly how this works. We answer the most frequently asked questions here.
If you’re ill, first go to a Sympany partner pharmacy or contact Medgate for a telephone/video consultation. You can find out the Medgate consultation hours via the app or by calling +41 844 852 852 (in German, French, Italian or English). This model allows for well-coordinated and cost-conscious treatment and is rewarded with a premium discount. More information about Medgate >
You can do this very easily online: you can find the nearest Sympany partner pharmacy in no time at www.sympany.ch/en/pharmacies. Our partner pharmacies include TopPharm pharmacies as well as other netCare pharmacies.
casamed pharm offers you maximum flexibility: you don’t have to chose a particular pharmacy, you can contact any Sympany partner pharmacy anywhere in Switzerland. A particularly big advantage when you’re out and about.
Let your pharmacy know that you’re insured with casamed pharm and show them your insurance card. A medical professional will talk to you in a separate room. Your pharmacist can carry out simple check-ups, e.g. for flu symptoms or skin rash, directly at the pharmacy. A few days later, your contact will ask you how you’re feeling.
The pharmacy will then refer you to a centre of your choice or, if necessary, directly to the hospital.
You can register by phone or via the Medgate app. You can arrange an appointment with reception as usual by phone. You can use the app to first enter your symptoms and then set an appointment for the telephone/video consultation. The Medgate app may also recommend a visit to a medical centre due to the symptoms described and allocate a corresponding time window for this.
You will be looked after by a qualified team of doctors with various specialisms. Consultations are held in German, French, Italian or English. You can specify your preferred doctors in the Medgate app. More detailed information is available from Medgate. If further examinations are necessary, you will be referred to a specialist or hospital.
After the treatment, you will receive your treatment plan by e-mail or via the Medgate app. If you use the app, you can adjust this plan at any time and thus inform Medgate about referrals or an extension of the treatment duration. If you don’t use the app, simply notify Medgate of referrals or extended treatment by phone.
In this case, it’s important to contact Medgate again beforehand to coordinate the intended additional referral and adjust the treatment time window.
No, this isn’t part of the agreement for casamed pharm. There are exceptions – but only for emergency doctors, ophthalmologists, dentists, gynaecologists and paediatricians for children under the age of 16.
Yes, the treatment plan created for you by Medgate or the pharmacy is binding. In the case of follow-up treatment, someone checks whether there are time windows or pharmacy consultations.
Sympany monitors compliance with the rules – both by law and out of fairness towards other policyholders. Anyone who disregards the rules will face financial consequences (e.g. because they need to be moved to a traditional basic insurance plan and no switch is possible for a year or because they have to cover treatment costs if they repeatedly disregard the rules).
Special cases and exceptions
In acute, very serious or life-threatening emergencies that require immediate treatment, go directly to the emergency doctor. After you’ve received emergency treatment, inform Medgate – ideally within five days. Someone close to you may also notify Medgate.
In this case too, please contact the Medgate telephone/video consultation service or a partner pharmacy as your first port of call.
Exception: the accident is an acute, (life-) threatening emergency, meaning immediate treatment is the priority. In this case, please contact Medgate afterwards and ideally provide them with the emergency treatment certificate that you received from the emergency care centre.
You can contact your gynaecologist directly for any treatments relating to your pregnancy.
For non-pregnancy-related medical issues, please get in touch with the Medgate telephone/video consultation service or a partner pharmacy as usual.
Yes, there are exceptions. You can contact ophthalmologists, gynaecologists and emergency doctors directly. And paediatricians for children under 16 years old can also be chosen freely.
Please inform Medgate about your ongoing treatment. This will ensure that your treatment plan and the time window that applies to it are kept up to date.
That’s not a problem. Contact Medgate for a telemedicine consultation – by telephone on +41 844 852 852 or via the Medgate app. Medgate is available around the clock. With casamed pharm, you have complete freedom in terms of the time and place.
If it’s the same illness every time, ask for a longer time window for treatment. This means you don’t have to contact Medgate before every visit to the doctor. Please note that as soon as the specified time window expires, you must contact Medgate again.
No, Medgate only needs to be informed when a treatment window is inadequate and needs to be extended for a particular treatment that has already been reported or when a new treatment that hasn’t yet been agreed with Medgate becomes necessary.
No, you do not need to report prescribed therapies. However, consultations at the medical practice that prescribed the therapy must be coordinated with Medgate.
Please inform Medgate in advance about obtaining medication from a medical practice. This will allow the Medgate doctors to coordinate your treatment.
If you experience technical problems with the app or have any questions, Medgate's customer services team will be happy to help and advise you (+41 61 377 88 28).
Medgate can also be reached by telephone around the clock for your medical concerns:
- For callmed 24 and casamed pharm policyholders: +41 844 852 852
- For flexhelp24 policyholders: +41 844 654 654
Seek a second opinion from Medgate. You can also consult a family doctor or specialist if this has been agreed with the pharmacy. Have you had disagreements with your pharmacy for some time? If so, we advise you to contact another Sympany partner pharmacy in the future.
Switch insurance model
Find out what you need to know when switching to another Sympany basic insurance here: Switch insurance models. Please bear in mind that the rules of the current model remain valid until the switch, as you will still benefit from the discount of your old model until then.
Downloads
Terms and Conditions of insurance casamed pharm (2024)
A comparison of all Sympany’s basic insurance policies
Your advantages at Sympany
* Examples of the premium discounts
Discount of 9%:
adult premium in Liestal BL, CHF 2’500.– deductible, without accident cover, Vivao Sympany AG
Discount of 13.5%:
adult premium in Fribourg FR, CHF 2’500.– deductible, without accident cover, Vivao Sympany AG
Depending on the alternative insurance model, insured persons can have one or a number of available first points of contact (Medgate, family doctor’s practice/HMO centre, pharmacy) for reporting health complaints.
Some models make it possible to coordinate treatment to a greater extent than others, which results in varying levels of cost savings. Sympany passes these cost savings on to its customers in the form of a premium discount – which is always calculated precisely for the respective model, age group, franchise and premium region.