Costs: Home Visit & Private On-Call Doctor in Hamburg

A private medical home visit from RAB Arztbesuche costs statutory-insured self-payers typically €150–300; privately and travel-insured patients usually pay €0 out-of-pocket, as their insurer reimburses the GOÄ amount in full (with a fully reimbursable tariff). There is no flat rate because the German medical fee schedule (GOÄ) bills each individual service separately. The final amount depends on the scope of care (e.g. ECG or blood draw), the time of day, and the travel within Hamburg. During weekday daytime hours the standard 2.3× multiplier applies; in the evening, at night, on weekends and public holidays, fixed GOÄ surcharges are added. We give you the expected price range by phone in advance, before a physician sets off.

Yes, privately insured patients are usually reimbursed in full for a medical home visit in Hamburg. We bill exclusively under the GOÄ (standard 2.3× rate, up to 3.5× with written justification), so your private health insurer recognises the invoice. With a fully reimbursable tariff you typically have no out-of-pocket share; only an agreed deductible may remain with you. Civil servants (Beihilfe recipients) combine Beihilfe (50–80 % depending on the federal state) with their top-up private insurance and are likewise fully covered. You pay the invoice on site first and then submit it; reimbursement usually arrives within 1–3 weeks.

No, statutory health insurance does not reimburse private medical home visits. GKV-insured patients use our Hamburg service as self-payers; this follows from the GKV's benefits-in-kind principle. You receive a transparent GOÄ invoice, and we give you the expected price range (typically €150–300) by phone before the visit. The cost can be claimed as an extraordinary expense under § 33 EStG (German income tax law). Those seeking publicly funded out-of-hours care can reach the on-call service of the KV Hamburg at the nationwide number 116117; in life-threatening emergencies always call 112.

A home visit in the evening, at night, on weekends or on public holidays costs more than a weekday daytime visit, because the GOÄ prescribes fixed surcharges: letter B for 8–10 pm and 6–8 am, C for the night from 10 pm to 6 am, and D for Saturday, Sunday and public holidays. These amounts are set by statute and are not multiplied by the fee factor. In practice a home visit at those times therefore typically costs €150–300. We cover all of Hamburg daily from 6 am to midnight, 365 days a year; for privately insured patients the premium is usually fully reimbursable anyway.

A private on-call doctor in Hamburg costs, like any private medical home visit, usually €150–300, billed under the German medical fee schedule (GOÄ). In the evening, at night and on weekends or public holidays, the fixed GOÄ surcharges are added: B for 8–10 pm and 6–8 am, C for the night from 10 pm to 6 am, and D for Saturday, Sunday and public holidays; such visits therefore tend towards the upper end of the range. RAB Arztbesuche is a private medical on-call service and expressly not an emergency ambulance service: for life-threatening symptoms always call 112. Privately and travel-insured patients are usually reimbursed the GOÄ amount in full with a fully reimbursable tariff; statutory-insured patients use the service as self-payers and can claim the invoice for tax under § 33 EStG. We give you the expected price range for your visit by phone in advance, daily from 6 am to midnight, before a physician sets off.

The statutory on-call service on 116117 is a health-fund benefit for statutory-insured patients and therefore free of charge; billing goes directly through the health insurer. A private on-call doctor service such as RAB Arztbesuche, by contrast, bills under the German medical fee schedule (GOÄ), usually €150–300 depending on the scope of care, the time of day and the travel distance. The difference lies in availability and waiting time: the statutory visiting service prioritises by urgency and arranges home visits only when transport incapacity has been established, with waiting times of sometimes several hours; the private home visit arrives in Hamburg reliably within 60–90 minutes, daily from 6 am to midnight. Privately and travel-insured patients are usually reimbursed the GOÄ invoice in full, statutory-insured patients pay themselves and can claim the cost as an extraordinary burden under § 33 EStG. In life-threatening emergencies always call 112, the rescue service is a health-fund benefit.

Yes, most travel and international health insurers cover a medical home visit in Hamburg, as it constitutes outpatient acute care. Tourists, business travellers and expatriates are explicitly welcome, especially around the port, the airport and the city centre. You receive a GOÄ invoice that international insurers recognise; we provide an English receipt on request. You pay on site by card or cash and then submit the invoice to your insurer. Our physicians speak English, so communication is smooth.