Anyone in Germany who needs a prompt appointment with a specialist can use the nationwide hotline 116117. The appointment service helps people with public health insurance find a suitable appointment at a specialist’s office. You can search for and schedule an appointment by calling 116117, online at 116117-termine.de, or via the 116117 app.
When can you get an appointment with a specialist?
For many specialist appointments, you need what’s called a referral code. The treating physician’s office issues this code when an urgent examination or treatment by a specialist is necessary.
No referral code is required for certain medical specialties. These include, for example, general practitioners, gynecologists, ophthalmologists, and pediatricians. Special rules also apply to certain examinations for children and the first appointment for psychotherapy.
How do you schedule an appointment?
If you have a referral code, you can enter it at 116117-termine.de. The code consists of twelve digits. You’ll also need to enter the ZIP code of your desired region. Then you can select the desired specialty and search for available appointments.
After selecting a practice and a suitable appointment time, you enter your contact information and confirm the booking. The appointment is then officially scheduled.
What does “urgent appointment” mean?
The 116117 service distinguishes between different levels of urgency. In particularly urgent cases, an appointment within 24 hours may be necessary following a telephone medical assessment.
For other urgent cases, the appointment should take place within five weeks. For non-urgent appointments, the search may take longer.
Whether an appointment is urgent is not determined solely by the patient. A doctor can indicate the urgency on the referral form. In particularly urgent cases, the assessment is made by trained staff members of the 116117-patient service.
What should you do if online booking isn’t working?
If you’re having trouble with the online search, you can call 116117 directly. The staff can help you find a suitable appointment.
116117 thus offers a way to find a suitable specialist appointment more quickly, without having to contact multiple medical practices individually.
Further information:
https://www.116117-termine.de/
https://www.116117.de/de/index.php
https://www.kvbawue.de/patienten/praxissuche/notfallpraxis-finden/
https://tuenews.de/anlaufstellen-fur-den-arztlichen-notdienst/
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