Summary
An integrated health association (association de santé intégrée, ASI) aims to provide comprehensive and accessible healthcare for all.
It offers integrated care to patients, taking into account their medical conditions, mental health and social situation.
In particular, ASIs offer:
- personalised care;
- medical consultations;
- paramedical consultations; and
- psychological and social support.
An ASI’s general mission is implemented through six functions governed by decree:
- treatment and prevention
- care
- multidisciplinary internal coordination
- community health
- networking
- health monitoring in primary care.
In practical terms, an ASI works as a medical centre bringing together primary care professionals in one place: GPs, nurses, physical therapists, psychotherapists and social workers.
Key points
Care providers may carry out their activities:
- as self-employed persons; or
- as ASI employees.
This choice may affect the way in which payment for care is charged:
- on a fee-for-service basis;
- or on a flat-rate basis.
In detail
- multidisciplinary teams providing primary health care;
- groups of general practitioners;
- associations of physical therapists.
To obtain accreditation, the ASI must have a mandatory core team comprising:
- a receptionist;
- two GPs who work primarily for the ASI;
- a physical therapist; and
- a nurse.
The ASI must also perform psychosocial functions:
- either through a member of the team; or
- under an agreement with an external service provider.
The ASI ensures that the beneficiaries receive comprehensive and integrated healthcare management by a coordinated team.
The accreditation allows the ASI to obtain subsidies that cover, in particular:
- the costs of the reception staff;
- community health activities;
- the time spent on coordination;
- involvement in the social cohesion plan or the urban social support network;
- involvement in the collection of epidemiological data; and
- activities carried out in rural areas.
To apply for accreditation:
- Send your application to AVIQ by 31 July.
The application must include the required information and documents.
- AVIQ will review your file upon receipt of it.
- The Walloon Minister of Health will grant the accreditation for an indefinite period with effect from 1 January of the following year.
Once the accreditation has been granted, the ASI may obtain subsidies.
The necessary forms and documents are available below.
No fee is required.
- Applications must be lodged with AVIQ by 31 July.
- AVIQ will submit its opinion by 31 October.
- The Walloon government will then decide on the application.
You must provide the following, among other things:
- an up-to-date copy of the articles of association of the founder, as published in the Belgian Official Gazette, or the decision to set up the ASI;
- a copy of the employment contract or collaboration agreement for each team member, and a copy of their diplomas;
- a copy of the fire inspection report;
- a copy of the contract for the disposal of category B2 waste;
- a plan showing the use of the premises;
- the association’s action plan;
- a declaration from each GP certifying that they carry out their activities primarily within the ASI.
Lodging a complaint with AVIQ
You may lodge a complaint with AVIQ. This procedure is particularly useful when you can provide new information that could not be taken into consideration at the time when the decision was made.
IMPORTANT: a complaint is NOT an appeal. Lodging a complaint does not suspend the deadline for lodging an administrative or legal appeal.
The complaint must be lodged within three months of you being notified of the decision, using the form available; you must fill in the form and and email it to reclamation@aviq.be.
You can also fill it in, print it and send it by post to: ***
If you are not satisfied with the response to your complaint, you can always contact the Ombudsman of the Walloon Region (see below).
Lodging a complaint with the Ombudsman of Wallonia and the French Community.
If you are not satisfied with AVIQ’s response following your complaint, you can contact the Ombudsman of the Walloon Region. The role of the Ombudsman is to assist anyone experiencing difficulties with an administrative authority of Wallonia or the French Community.
The Ombudsman strives to reconcile the points of view of both parties and to re-establish dialogue between the citizen and the regional and community administrative authorities. The Ombudsman may propose a response, additional information, mediation, an equitable recommendation, etc.
This procedure is free of charge, confidential and impartial, but you can only use it if you have first lodged a complaint with AVIQ and that complaint has not been resolved and is not the subject of an administrative or legal appeal.
How to contact the Ombudsman
- By email: courrier@le-mediateur.be;
- Using the online form: https://www.le-mediateur.be/page/introduction-d-une-reclamation.html;
- By post: Médiateur de la Wallonie et de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles - Rue Lucien Namèche, 54 - 5000 Namur
- By freephone: 0800 19199;
- By visiting the institution’s headquarters in Namur or at one of its contact points (website: https://www.le-mediateur.be)
Lodging an appeal with the Walloon government
You may lodge an administrative appeal against this decision if AVIQ has officially notified you of the decision.
The appeal must be lodged within month of you being notified of the decision.
The appeal must be addressed to the Secretariat of the Advisory Committee on Appeals for Social Welfare and Health Matters (Secrétariat de la Commission d’avis sur les recours pour les questions d’action sociale et de santé).
The appeal can be sent:
- by registered mail or any other means that provides proof of a definite date of sending, to the following address: Avenue Gouverneur Bovesse 100, 5000 Namur ;
- by email to: commission.recours.social@spw.wallonie.be.
The appeal must contain:
- the appellant’s surname, first name, and place of residence or registered office;
- the subject matter of the appeal; and
- a statement of facts and grounds of defence.
A copy of the contested decision must be attached to the appeal.
The Secretariat must acknowledge receipt of the appeal and submit it to the Appeals Advisory Commission within 15 days of receiving it.
Lodging an appeal with the Council of State
The addressee of the decision must have lodged an administrative appeal before being able to appeal to the Council of State. Without this prior administrative appeal, an appeal to the Council of State is inadmissible.
People who are not addressees of the decision may lodge an action for annulment with the Administrative Litigation Section (Section du contentieux administratif) of the Council of State. Such non-addressees must demonstrate that they have a sufficient interest in requesting the annulment of the decision.
For this purpose, the application for annulment must be:
- dated and signed; and
- addressed to the Council of State within 60 days of publication or effective notification of the decision:
- by post: rue de la Science, 33, 1040 Bruxelles;
- electronically, to the Council of State (**).
The rules applicable to the lodging of appeals and the content of the application are available on the Council of State website:
The rules of the procedure applicable to filing applications and their content can be found at the Council of State website.