What is a psichiatra convenzionato (SSN psychiatrist)?
A psichiatra convenzionato is a psychiatrist contracted with Italy's Servizio Sanitario Nazionale (SSN) who provides treatment to patients with a valid impegnativa (medical referral) from their general practitioner, typically with no out-of-pocket cost beyond a small ticket fee.
In Italy, a psichiatra convenzionato works under a formal agreement with the Servizio Sanitario Nazionale (SSN), the country's public healthcare system. This arrangement means the psychiatrist is credentialed to treat patients covered by SSN insurance, rather than operating purely as a private practitioner.
To see a convenzionato psychiatrist, a patient must first obtain an impegnativa (medical referral) from their medico di medicina generale (family doctor). This referral is essential: without it, the visit is not recognized as an SSN-covered service. Once armed with the impegnativa, patients typically pay only a small regional ticket fee (copay), ranging from zero to a modest amount depending on age, income, and regional rules. The psychiatrist bills the SSN directly for the remainder.
This differs from a psichiatra libero professionista (private psychiatrist), who does not hold an SSN contract and requires payment in full at the time of service. Convenzionato psychiatrists in Milan may also maintain a private practice alongside their SSN work, accepting both insured and out-of-pocket patients.
For residents of Milan and Lombardy seeking SSN-contracted psychiatric care, confirming a psychiatrist's convenzionato status and obtaining the proper impegnativa from your GP are the essential first steps to accessing publicly funded treatment.