Patient classifications
- Outpatient hospital care: If you are treated as an outpatient (ambulanter Patient/ambulante Patientin), you will attend your appointment at the hospital for an examination, treatment, or minor surgery before going home the same day.
- Inpatient hospital care: If you are an inpatient (stationärer Patient/stationäre Patientin), you will be admitted to hospital and assigned a bed and a room. You will stay overnight and perhaps longer to prepare for and recover from surgery or an illness.
In Germany, outpatient care is often not provided in large hospitals but in smaller, specialist clinics. In 2012, the Federal Joint Committee passed a guideline on specialist outpatient care with the aim of making it easier for patients to access highly specialized care at clinics.
If your doctor has instructed you to seek outpatient care or referred you to a clinic or hospital, you should consult your health insurance provider before proceeding, so you can ask whether they will cover the treatment and discuss the costs involved.
ottonova customers can use the Concierge service to check whether a given treatment is covered. In the First and Business Class tariff they also benefit from access to specialist doctors without the need for a referral.
Examples of outpatient care
Outpatient examinations and treatments are usually non-invasive or minimally invasive and involve little to no recovery time. Outpatient care is typically provided in the outpatient clinics of hospitals or in separate, specialist facilities.
Examples of outpatient examinations and treatments include:
- X-rays
- Injections
- Wound dressings
- Colonoscopies
- Minor surgeries
Outpatient care and health insurance
As you probably know, health insurance is mandatory for everyone living in Germany (Versicherungspflicht). However, the insurance system you choose will determine both the level of care you receive and how you pay for it.
Public health insurance
In the public (or statutory) health insurance system, you will not pay any bills when you receive outpatient care. Instead, publicly insured people pay contributions of around €10 towards prescriptions and treatments, plus 10% of costs. However, because the public insurance system is based on the principle of cost-effectiveness, not all treatments and services are covered.
Private health insurance
In the private health insurance system, you need to check with your insurance provider before going ahead with outpatient treatment. They will inform you if the treatment is covered by your policy. Private insurers often cover more treatments and services than public insurers – they also benefit from access to specialist doctors without the need for a referral.
