People who require medical treatment can select their doctor. This is because the right to freely choose a doctor exists in Germany. This also applies when seeing a medical specialist. However, a referral can sometimes be needed for this.

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At a glance

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• Patients have the right to select their doctors, usually requiring a medical card or proof of insurance.

• This right extends to specialists, though a referral may be needed, typically from a general practitioner.

• Online portals and appointment service centers of the Statutory Health Insurance Physicians Associations (Kassenärztliche Vereinigungen) can help schedule appointments.

• In urgent cases outside consulting hours, non-emergency medical assistance or emergency services are available.

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The gesund.bund.de doctor search can be used to find local doctors and filter by specialization, language, and the accessibility of the medical practice.

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