Your doctor can issue you with a referral if further specialist treatment in another practice makes sense. We will explain to you in which cases this is possible.
In the case of general complaints such as a cold or gastrointestinal problems, it is normal to first consult a general practitioner. Sometimes, however, it turns out during the examination that the problem can be treated better in a specialist practice than in a general practitioner. In this case, your doctor can issue you with a referral.
This is not always absolutely necessary – you can usually seek specialist medical advice without a referral slip if you have the appropriate symptoms. Nevertheless, a referral can often be useful.
Referral to a specialist: why it makes sense
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In principle, it is possible to see a specialist without a referral. In Germany, there is a free choice of doctor for both statutory and privately insured patients. However, one restriction applies to those with statutory health insurance: the doctors of their choice must offer so-called “contract medical care”, as only this is covered by statutory health insurance.
As a result, if you have a specific problem, you can go directly to specialist treatment without first getting a referral from your doctor. However, it still makes sense to first seek medical advice before you turn to specialists. Your family doctor knows your medical history, can make a well-founded assessment of whether specialist treatment is necessary and, in this case, can also recommend specific contacts for you.
In addition, a referral slip facilitates communication between the practices: In addition to your general data, the diagnosis (or suspected diagnosis), the course of treatment to date and any medication that may have been prescribed are noted. As a result of the referral, the specialist is already informed about the most important things and can build on previous findings in the further treatment. Conversely, the specialists also transmit their findings to the referring general practitioner. You should therefore definitely take the referral slip with you when you go to specialists.
Last but not least, a referral can also ensure that you can get an appointment in a specialist practice faster. However, this is only possible if there is an urgent medical reason for this, which can also be noted on the referral slip. Normally, a transfer is not necessarily a guarantee that you will get through faster.
When is it not possible without a transfer?
In some special cases, a referral slip is not optional, but absolutely necessary. The following specialist medical groups generally require a referral:
- Laboratory doctor: inside
- microbiologist: inside
- Infection epidemiologist
- nuclear medicine specialists
- pathologist
- radiologist
- radiation therapists
- transfusion physicians
Under certain circumstances, privately insured persons also need a referral – namely if they have concluded a so-called primary doctor tariff. Such a tariff stipulates that the insured must first visit a primary doctor before seeking specialist treatment. This primary function is usually fulfilled by general practitioners. In order to be able to claim insurance benefits, insured persons with a primary doctor tariff must therefore usually have a referral slip issued.
By the way: General practitioners always issue a referral for the current quarter. However, it is usually still valid in the following quarter. This is because you often have to expect longer waiting times with specialists if it is not an urgent emergency.
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