The Adeli number has long been the administrative key for nurses in France. Assigned by regional health agencies, this nine-digit identifier allowed for the registration of each professional in a departmental directory and validated their right to practice.
Since November 2021, the situation has changed: nurses are gradually transitioning to the RPPS, a national directory managed by the National Order of Nurses. Understanding what remains valid, what has disappeared, and what still poses problems on the ground helps avoid many errors in daily procedures.
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Decommissioned Adeli: What the transition to RPPS changes concretely
The Adeli directory is no longer the reference system for nurses. The Digital Health Agency officially ended the Adeli nurse cards on December 31, 2023. The old identifiers have been migrated to a unique, national, and permanent RPPS identifier.
The structural difference can be summed up in one word: portability. The Adeli number was linked to the department of practice. Changing regions required a new registration with the local ARS. The RPPS number, however, follows the professional throughout their career, whether they move from salaried to freelance work or relocate.
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To find detailed information about the Adeli nurse number on Hucky, the logic remains the same: it is about understanding the relationship between the old departmental system and the new national directory.
Many online resources still describe the procedure for obtaining an Adeli number as if the directory were still operational. This confusion leads to unnecessary procedures with the ARS, which now refer to the Order.
Registration with the Nursing Order and automatic allocation of the RPPS
The process for obtaining the number has been simplified on paper. Any newly graduated nurse who registers with the National Order of Nurses automatically receives a RPPS number, without additional steps with the ARS. The ONI had carried out the automatic registration of IDELs already registered at the time of the transition in November 2021.
The documents required for registration with the Order remain standard:
- The state nursing diploma (or its equivalent for foreign diplomas), the central piece of the file
- A valid identity document and proof of residence
- The registration certificate with the Order, which triggers the allocation of the RPPS number and opens access to health e-services
The RPPS number is not limited to an administrative registration role. It also serves to activate professional digital tools, notably the e-CPS application that replaces the old physical CPS card. Without this number, it is impossible to access billing services, dematerialized prescriptions, or secure health messaging.
Nurses not registered with the Order: a special case
Employed nurses who are not registered with the Order find themselves in a more ambiguous administrative situation. The obligation to register with the Order is regularly debated within the profession. In practice, the lack of registration blocks the allocation of the RPPS and, by extension, access to digital health tools.
Some hospital structures still manage local identifiers for their unregistered staff. Feedback from the field varies on this point: depending on the institutions, the transition to the RPPS is more or less advanced for employees.
Structure of the Adeli number and RPPS correspondence
Understanding the composition of the Adeli number remains useful for deciphering old professional documents. The Adeli number consists of nine digits organized according to a precise logic:
- The first two digits identify the department of practice
- The third and fourth digits correspond to the profession code
- Digits five to eight form the individual registration number
- The last digit is a control key
The RPPS number, on the other hand, consists of eleven digits and is no longer linked to a department. This national structure eliminates duplicates that existed in the Adeli system when a professional practiced in multiple departments.
To verify a professional identifier, The Health Directory is now the public entry point of reference. Patients and employers can consult a nurse’s practice status based on their name or RPPS number.
CPS card, e-CPS, and the end of Adeli supports: friction points
The technical transition has not been without hiccups. The old CPS cards bearing an Adeli number have been gradually deactivated. Affected nurses must switch to the e-CPS, a mobile application that relies on the RPPS number to authenticate the professional.
The concrete problem arises during billing. Practice management software, transmissions to the Health Insurance, and care coordination platforms use the RPPS as an identification key. A freelance nurse who retains an old Adeli configuration in their software risks billing rejections.
Another point of caution: prescriptions and printed documents must mention the RPPS number, not the old Adeli. This detail, which may seem trivial, can pose problems during audits or disputes with health insurance funds.
Check the proper migration of your identifier
The Health Directory allows you to verify that the correspondence between the old Adeli number and the new RPPS has been properly made. In case of anomalies (missing number, incorrectly reported specialty, outdated practice address), the correction is handled by the National Order of Nurses and no longer by the ARS.
The transition from Adeli to RPPS for nurses has been completed from a regulatory standpoint. On the ground, adjustments are still necessary in certain establishments and private practices. Updating billing tools, verifying your identifier on the Health Directory, and ensuring that the e-CPS works correctly are the three checks to be made without delay.