If you are sick and cannot get out of bed, you need a doctor who comes to you – not the other way around. The house call is one of the oldest forms of medical care and remains the medically most sensible option in certain situations. In Berlin, this raises the question of which doctors actually make house calls, what waiting times are realistically to be expected, and what costs are involved. This article provides a factual overview of these questions.
Which doctors make house calls?
In principle, any licensed physician can make house calls, though they are not obligated to do so in every case. In practice, many general practice offices only offer house calls for long-term patients, and even then often only at certain times and under certain conditions. Outside regular office hours – in the evenings, on weekends, or on public holidays – the statutory emergency medical service is theoretically responsible, but in practice only arranges house calls when immobility is documented.
If you want to reliably and promptly arrange for a doctor to visit your home, you are much better served by a private emergency medical service such as RAB Berlin. There, the house call is not an exception but the core service offering.
When is a house call medically advisable?
A house call is advisable whenever medical evaluation is required but traveling to a practice would cause significant hardship. This applies to severely limited mobility, high fever with pronounced feeling of illness, severe pain that makes movement difficult, as well as for elderly or care-dependent persons who cannot visit a practice independently. For families with young children or for persons without their own vehicle, the house call is often the more practical and gentler option.
It must be emphasized: For life-threatening symptoms such as unconsciousness, suspected heart attack or stroke, severe shortness of breath, or uncontrollable bleeding, only the emergency services at 112 are responsible. A house call by an emergency physician does not replace emergency rescue services.
How long does it take for the emergency doctor to arrive?
The waiting time for a house call depends on several factors: time of day, service workload, traffic conditions, and location within the city. With the statutory emergency medical service, waiting times of several hours are possible, as house calls are prioritized by urgency and the service area is large.
RAB Berlin is designed to perform house calls promptly. As a rule, the visit takes place within 60 to 90 minutes after the telephone request. This makes RAB the more reliable choice, particularly when rapid medical assessment is important and long waiting times would worsen the condition or cause unnecessary burden.
What happens during a house call through RAB?
After calling RAB Berlin, the patient's condition is briefly assessed over the telephone. Subsequently, an experienced physician comes directly to your home, hotel, or workplace. On site, a complete medical history is taken, a physical examination is performed, and vital signs are checked. The physician determines the next course of action, prescribes medications if necessary, and can issue a certificate of incapacity for work.
Should further diagnostics or hospital admission be necessary, this will be arranged by the physician. The entire examination takes place in your familiar surroundings – without a waiting room, without travel, without additional burden. For further information, please visit our service page.
General practitioner house call costs – what to expect
The cost of a private physician house call is determined by the German Medical Fee Schedule (GOÄ) and depends on time of day, day of week, and scope of services provided. Evening and weekend surcharges are customary and regulated under the GOÄ.
Privately insured patients typically receive full reimbursement of costs from their health insurance. Self-payers and those with statutory health insurance can also use the service – many supplemental health insurance policies cover all or part of the costs incurred. Billing is transparent and traceable at all times.
Important note regarding use of the service
If you need a doctor for a house call in Berlin and there is no acute emergency situation, you can reach the private emergency medical service RAB Berlin daily between 6 and 24 o'clock by telephone at +49 30 550 77 870. Further information and the option to book an appointment directly can be found here.
As a rule, the house call takes place within 60 to 90 minutes after your request.