The channel hierarchy to memorise: 112 — danger to life; 116117 — bad now but not dying, plus appointments; Hausarzt — everything else. Half of newcomer frustration comes from calling the wrong number.
The Specialist: 116117 Versus the Six-Month Queue
With an urgent referral, the appointment service 116117 must find you a specialist slot within 4 weeks. Without the code: free search and long lists.
✓ Verified: 18/07/2026
WHAT TO DO
› Details and tips
👨🏻💻
Max recommends:
The 116117 online portal beats the phone: enter the referral code from the family-doctor paper and the system shows free appointments nearby.
👩🏼💼
Lea recommends:
Appointment in six months? Call the practice about cancellations: if something frees up, I am flexible puts you on the unofficial waiting list — works surprisingly often.
Useful Tools
- Terminservicestelle 116117 health
State appointment service: arranges specialist appointments within statutory deadlines, free of charge.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Which doctors need no referral at all? ▾
Gynaecologist, eye doctor, psychotherapist (initial consultation), dentist — direct. Other specialists need the referral from your family doctor.
116117 offered an appointment 100 km away — can I decline? ▾
Yes, but the service then owes no fast replacement: the rule is an appointment within 4 weeks at reasonable distance. Declining means back to the general search.
The practice offers only a private appointment — must I pay? ▾
No: statutory-panel doctors must treat GKV members as public patients. If only a pricey private slot is offered, point to 116117 — it arranges the public appointment. A pure private doctor without panel approval is the exception.
Psychotherapy via 116117 too? ▾
Yes — and it is the top insider: the initial consultation must be arranged even without any referral. A permanent slot is its own chapter, but this opens the system door.