Pros and cons of treatment in Germany

As the county with TOP-level medical services, Germany pays attention to the continuous improvement of the medical tourism sphere. Consequently, Temos International Healthcare Accreditation standards “Quality in International Patient Care” and “Excellence in Medical Tourism” have achieved the ISQua accreditation in Germany so far.

It is small wonder that Germany constantly stays in the TOP 3 of world’s countries that provide medical treatment to the large number of foreigners. Germany is well-known due to the high-tech surgical procedures, state-of-art technical equipment, and innovative medications. In addition, a plenty of clinical trials take place in German healthcare institutions and patients can receive cutting-edge treatments for free.

Types of healthcare facilities in Germany

Today Germany has up to 4 doctors per 1000 people and takes the 3rd place in the world regarding the number of healthcare professionals. German citizens and international travelers can receive medical services in different healthcare facilities:

• University hospitals.
• Municipal or academic hospitals.
• Private praxes.

The structure is designed for maximal efficacy and providing medical help timely. Each hospital has the separate statistics on the activity of performing diagnostic procedures and therapeutic interventions, rate of complications and success rates. Exploring and comparing this data is helpful in choosing the most relevant hospital and treating physician.

Costs of medical services and insurance policies

In Germany, costs of medical services are controlled by state legislatures. The comprehensive G-DRG (German Diagnostic-Related Group) catalogue includes specific codes of all medical procedures and their prices. A patient typically needs to pay extra fees for treatment by the chief physician or a VIP room in the hospital. In addition, foreign patients may be forced to pay extra GOÄ fee which increases the total costs for up to 2 times. Generally speaking, prices for the medical services in Germany are higher compared to developing countries and more affordable compared to the USA.

In order to estimate cost of the medical program, you need to consider the following aspects:

• Type of the medical procedure (e.g. laboratory analysis, tomography, surgery, etc.), G-DRG code.
• General health state and presence of concomitant diseases.
• Type of the healthcare institution (e.g. university hospital or praxis).
• Treatment by an ordinary doctor or the head physician.
• Type of the room during inpatient therapy and non-medical services.

The international health insurance may cover a part of your medical expenses (it is better to specify this issue in advance with the insurance provider). For instance, owners of the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) can receive free medical services.

In addition, it is better to explore the range of offered therapeutic options. Insurance companies can knowingly or unknowingly ignore possibilities of the local hospitals, providing patients with cheaper conventional procedures.

Benefits and risks of receiving treatment in Germany

Indisputable benefits of receiving medical help in the leading German hospitals include:

• Precise diagnostic interventions, including the functional, laboratory, and visualizing examinations.
• Preference to sparing and minimally invasive surgical interventions.
• Availability of novel medications and equipment, possibility to participate in clinical trials.
• Consultations of specialized doctors (e.g. experts in treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, epilepsy, certain cancer types, etc.).
• Comprehensive rehabilitation programs, emphasis on improving life quality.
• High level of convenience during the inpatient treatment.

At the same time, a patient and his relatives should consider possible obstacles, like:

• Receiving treatment invitation from the healthcare facility, as not all clinics are authorized to admit foreigners.
• Finding a specialist for translating medical information and communicating with doctors.
• Arranging a trip abroad which may be troublesome for a sick person.
• Booking accommodation for an accompanying person and solving everyday issues.
• Covering additional expenses for non-residents, issuing the health insurance.

Treatment in Germany for the foreign patients

Undergoing medical treatment in Germany will be much easier with assistance of the professionals. Booking Health is the medical tourism operator, which specializes in organization of treatment in Germany. Work of Booking Health satisfies the strict ISO certification requirements. According to the demands of ISO 9001:2015 certification, specialists from Booking Health will help you with:

• Making choice between the specialized and leading hospitals in Germany.
• Working out preliminary diagnosis or therapeutic program.
• Providing reasonable cost of treatment, without additional fees (saving up to 50%).
• Booking the appointment without being on the long waiting list.
• Help in buying medications and medical products.
• Control of invoices and final calculation.
• Organization of additional examinations, therapeutic interventions or rehabilitation.
• Booking accommodation and tickets, transfer organization.
• Translation of medical reports and interpreter support.

To start a process of undergoing treatment in Germany, please, leave your request on the Booking Health website. The same day, medical advisor or coordinator will contact you and guide through further steps.