Patient info
New patients: how physio works in Germany
What to bring, what happens at your first visit, and how prescriptions, co-payments and invoices work in Germany – including notes for TRICARE and US insurance.
Checklist: what to bring
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Your first visit
Arrive
Please come 10 minutes early. At the front desk we check your prescription and you fill in a short registration form (available in English).
Talk
What happened, what is difficult, what would you like to be able to do again? Medications and medical history are part of it too.
Assessment
We look at posture, mobility and strength. You stay dressed as far as possible.
First treatment & plan
Treatment usually starts on the same day. At the end we book the remaining sessions of your series.
Statutory, private or self-pay?
Statutory (gesetzlich)
This applies if you have German statutory insurance (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung), e.g. as a local civilian employee.
- Prescription: your family doctor or specialist issues a “Heilmittelverordnung” (for jaw problems, a dentist can too).
- Deadline: treatment usually has to start within 28 days of the date of issue – within 14 days if “urgent need for treatment” is ticked.
- Co-payment (Zuzahlung): adults pay €10 per prescription plus 10% of the treatment costs. Children and teens under 18 are exempt.
- Exemption: once you reach your yearly limit (2% of gross income, 1% for chronic illness), your insurer can exempt you.
- Billing: you pay the co-payment at our front desk and get a receipt. We bill the rest directly to your insurer.
Co-payment example calculator
Just an example. Real insurer prices differ by treatment and contract – you’ll see the exact amount on your receipt.
Private (privat)
- Prescription: you usually need a doctor’s prescription (Privatrezept) to be reimbursed.
- Invoice: after the series you get an invoice based on our price list and submit it to your insurer.
- Prices: unlike doctors (who use the GOÄ fee schedule), there is no binding fee schedule for physiotherapy in Germany. Our prices are on each treatment page.
- Reimbursement: how much is covered depends on your policy. Some plans only pay up to certain maximum amounts – check with your insurer if unsure.
- Payment: by bank transfer within 14 days.
Self-pay (Selbstzahler)
- No prescription: in Germany physiotherapists may only treat medical conditions without a prescription if they hold a practitioner licence (Heilpraktiker). Johanna Kerber holds the limited licence for physiotherapy.
- Never need a prescription: classes, taping, running analysis and supervised training after therapy.
- Prices: the same as for private patients, see each treatment page.
- Payment: right after your session by card or cash; you get an itemised invoice.
General information, not legal or insurance advice. As of November 2026.
Reading a German prescription
- Insurer & your details“Krankenkasse”, name, date of birth – check they are correct.
- Date of issue (Datum)The 28 days until your first session start here.
- Diagnosis (Diagnose, ICD-10)Code plus a short description of the main symptoms (Leitsymptomatik).
- Treatment & units (Heilmittel, Einheiten)What is prescribed (e.g. KG, MT, MLD-45, KG-Gerät) and how many sessions.
- Frequency (Therapiefrequenz)Sessions per week, e.g. “2× wöchentl.” = twice a week.
- Tick boxesHome visit (Hausbesuch), therapy report to the doctor (Therapiebericht), urgent need (dringlicher Behandlungsbedarf → start within 14 days).
- Stamp & signatureWithout both we can’t treat. Changes must be initialled by the doctor’s office.
If more than 14 days pass between two sessions without a valid reason, the prescription can become invalid. Tell us early if you are going on leave or PCS-ing.
For the US community: TRICARE & US insurance
Many of our patients are part of the US community around Baumholder. Here is what usually matters – but rules depend on your plan, so please check with your insurer before your first visit.
TRICARE
Whether you need a referral or prior authorization for care off-post and overseas depends on your TRICARE plan. Ask TRICARE or your on-post clinic before booking – they can tell you what applies to you.
Other US insurance
Many US plans treat care in Germany as international or out-of-network. Ask whether you need to pay first and file a claim, and which documents they need.
What we provide
An itemised invoice in English and German: dates, treatments, therapist, our practice details. Whether we can bill your insurer directly depends on your plan – just ask.
German statutory insurance?
If you (or your spouse) work locally and have German statutory insurance, the “Statutory” tab above applies instead.
Quick glossary
- Rezept / Verordnung
- prescription / referral for therapy
- Krankenkasse
- German statutory health insurer
- Zuzahlung
- legal co-payment (statutory insurance only)
- Selbstzahler
- self-paying patient
- Rechnung / Quittung
- invoice / receipt
- Hausbesuch
- home visit
General information only – not legal or insurance advice. Always check with your insurer.
Cancelling appointments
Please cancel at least 24 hours in advance – by phone (the answering machine is fine) or e-mail. We can rarely re-book a slot at short notice, so as agreed in the treatment contract, appointments not cancelled in time are charged privately (€25).
If you suddenly fall ill, still let us know as early as you can – we’ll find a solution together.
Last updated: November 2026