Not every patient can come to a doctor’s office or hospital for treatment. For elderly, immobile, or seriously ill people, a doctor’s home visit is often the only way to receive timely medical care. In Berlin, there is an organized home visit service as part of the on-call medical service – and also private doctor home visits. Here we explain how you can arrange for a doctor to come to your home, what it costs, and what you should consider.
Home visit via the on-call service (116117)
As mentioned previously, the 116117 hotline will arrange a home visit outside of regular office hours if your health condition prevents you from visiting a doctor’s office. Typical situations include: high fever and weakness, you are literally bedridden; severe pain or limited mobility (e.g., a recent leg injury); frail or bedridden patients; or you are alone and unable to drive.
In such cases, don’t hesitate to say on the phone: “ I can’t leave the house; I need a home visit. “ The dispatch center will then determine whether a home visit is medically necessary and send the on-call doctor to your home. The doctor will usually ring your doorbell within a few hours (the exact waiting time depends on their workload and the urgency of your case). Please have your health insurance card ready – the doctor will need it, just as they would in a doctor’s office.
Procedure of a home visit
The doctor making a house call will examine you at home, take your medical history, and provide treatment based on the findings. They will carry a medical bag with supplies such as bandages, medications, IV fluids, syringes, a blood glucose meter, etc. Like a general practitioner, they can issue prescriptions, administer medication on-site (e.g., an injection of a fever reducer or an inhaler for asthma), and issue a sick note (certificate of incapacity for work) if necessary.
He will advise you on what to do next. In some cases, this single visit is sufficient; in others, he recommends a follow-up appointment with your family doctor the next working day. Should it become apparent during the visit that your condition is critical (e.g., suspected severe appendicitis or similar), the doctor can also arrange for hospital admission and, if necessary, call for emergency medical services.
Cost of a home visit
If you use the official on-call medical service via 116117, there are no direct costs for the home visit – the health insurance companies cover the treatment costs. It doesn’t matter whether the doctor comes to you or you go to the doctor’s office – this is included for those with statutory health insurance. Those with private insurance are, of course, reimbursed according to their policy.
Important: In Germany, there has been no emergency service fee for several years (previously there was a „practice fee“ or emergency service fee of 10 euros, which has been abolished). So you don’t pay anything extra as long as it’s a doctor on call covered by the national health insurance.
The situation may be different if you use private home visit services: In Berlin, there are also private medical home visit services that are available around the clock, but they do not operate through the 116117 hotline. For example, there were/are services where a private doctor arrives within an hour – however, these services then issue a private bill, which, depending on the services provided, can easily amount to several hundred euros.
Such services are often aimed at privately insured patients or self-payers who desire particularly fast service. For most people, however, the regular on-call service is perfectly adequate.
How do I call a doctor to my home?
The easiest way: Call 116117 and request a home visit. You can literally say: “ I would like to call a doctor to my home, as I am not mobile. “ The dispatch center will then decide if it is feasible. If so, they will take your address and arrange everything else.
In Berlin, your request will be forwarded to the nearest available mobile doctor in your area. The city is divided into sectors to ensure short response times. As described, the on-call doctors drive in brightly colored cars with the magenta/blue/white lettering „116117,“ so you can easily spot them when they arrive. As a precaution, you should keep your name on your doorbell and perhaps keep an eye on the front door if you live in an apartment building.
How long will it take for the doctor to arrive?
It depends on demand. In Berlin, up to 25-30 mobile doctors are on call simultaneously in the evenings and on weekends. Even then, patience is required when demand is very high. On average, waiting times of 1-2 hours are typical, but in some cases it can be faster or – with many calls coming in at once – take longer (3-4 hours have been reported in individual cases).
The dispatch center prioritizes according to urgency: A seriously ill patient will likely be visited first. You are welcome to ask for an estimate over the phone (“ How long will it take approximately? „). They can often tell you roughly how many home visits are ahead of yours.
Home visit service on weekends
The home visit service is used extensively, especially at night and on weekends. Sometimes patients request a home visit even though they are otherwise mobile – in the past, almost every request for a home visit in Berlin was granted, resulting in a very high number of trips.
The Berlin Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KV Berlin) is trying to manage this somewhat by increasingly asking mobile patients to visit an on-call medical practice. This is intended to ensure that doctors making house calls actually visit the patients who need them .
So don’t be surprised if you’re asked on the phone, “ Could you possibly come to the doctor’s office after all? “ This isn’t to brush you off, but to ensure resources are used efficiently. However, if you clearly state that you can’t make it, they won’t refuse your appointment.
Tip: When calling, be sure to explain all the important reasons why a home visit is necessary – for example, „I live on the 4th floor without an elevator and am in severe pain,“ or „The patient is 90 years old and unable to walk.“ This will help the dispatcher make the right decision. Also, have your address and phone number ready in case there are any follow-up questions.
After the home visit
The doctor will document everything important. If they issue you a sick note, they will give it to you (possibly digitally as an eAU to your health insurance company, but you will usually receive a printout). You can fill prescriptions at any emergency pharmacy. Should a follow-up appointment be necessary (e.g., a check-up the next day), they will tell you how to arrange it (often: visit your family doctor).
Home visits during the week by your own doctor
Please note that the information described here primarily concerns emergency services. During the week, many general practitioners also offer home visits for their own patients (often for chronically ill or elderly patients). These must be requested from the practice – this is a regular service, but subject to availability.
If, for example, you are ill on Monday morning and cannot leave the house, first call your family doctor – they might be able to make a house call at midday. If not, and it is still within their office hours, you could possibly call a mobile private service (charges apply) or contact the on-call service in the evening.
Overall, the following applies
Having a doctor come to your home is easily possible in Berlin, especially outside of normal business hours, by calling 116117. The costs are generally covered by health insurance, provided it is a public health emergency service.
Take advantage of this service when you need it – home visits are a blessing, especially for elderly or very ill people. At the same time, you shouldn’t overuse the service if you’re mobile enough to visit a doctor’s office – so that the mobile doctors remain available for truly immobile patients. In any case, health comes first, and the system is there to help you.
