Berlin · Snapshot August 2026
How hard is it to book a specialist online in Berlin?
We looked at all 2,986 specialist profiles in Berlin across seven fields on Doctolib, Germany's largest booking platform. At 359 practices we then compared directly what the same practice offered a publicly and a privately insured patient. Private patients could book at 91% of these practices and typically waited 6 days. Public patients could book at 47%. The other 53% showed them no appointment at all for the next three months.
Share of practices with a bookable online appointment
Median wait, where booking was possible
Finding 1
In most specialties, public patients found no online appointment
In cardiology, 40 of 50 Berlin practices showed public patients nothing, in dermatology 45 of 59. Four of seven specialties sit above 50%; only ear, nose and throat stays below one in four.
Practices with no online appointment for public patients
Berlin · ~50 bookable practices per specialty
Data table (exact values)
| Share | Count | |
|---|---|---|
| Cardiology | 80% | 40 of 50 |
| Dermatology | 76% | 45 of 59 |
| Psychotherapy | 56% | 28 of 50 |
| Gynaecology | 54% | 27 of 50 |
| Orthopaedics | 44% | 22 of 50 |
| Ophthalmology | 34% | 17 of 50 |
| ENT | 20% | 10 of 50 |
Finding 2
In two specialties, every second practice takes private patients only
The full profile count covers every reachable profile, 2,986 in total. Among practices that state on their profile whom they treat, the share that takes private patients only varies enormously by field. In psychotherapy, the field with Germany's most notorious waiting lists, seven in ten of these practices are private-only.
Private-only share among practices that state whom they treat
Berlin profile count · 1,650 of 2,986 profiles state it
Data table (exact values)
| Share | Count | |
|---|---|---|
| Psychotherapy | 69% | 173 of 250 |
| Dermatology | 50% | 117 of 236 |
| Cardiology | 37% | 53 of 142 |
| Orthopaedics | 34% | 56 of 167 |
| Ophthalmology | 11% | 20 of 177 |
| ENT | 7% | 14 of 215 |
| Gynaecology | 6% | 28 of 463 |
Finding 3
53% without a public appointment: 20% exclude public patients, 33% release nothing
Among the 359 practices in the sample, the gap has two different causes, and they are worth keeping apart: some practices exclude public patients from the online first appointment completely, others have public booking switched on but release no appointments.
What 359 bookable Berlin practices offered publicly insured patients
- 170 · 47% · GKV appointment bookablemedian wait 12 days
- 72 · 20% · excluded from online bookingsame appointment type open to private patients
- 117 · 33% · no GKV appointments releasedwhile private appointments were open
Data table (exact values)
| Practices | Share | |
|---|---|---|
| GKV appointment bookable | 170 | 47% |
| excluded from online booking | 72 | 20% |
| no GKV appointments released | 117 | 33% |
These are not empty calendars: 166 of the 189 practices without a public appointment showed an open, bookable private appointment at the same moment. Only 23 practices had nothing for either insurance type. Every practice in this sample runs active online booking; practices without it are counted separately in the profile count and never enter this figure.
Fairness requires the counterpoint. Where both insurance types had a published date at the same practice (159 practices), 106 showed the same date; at 47 the private patient came first, at 6 the public patient. The inequality sits in access, not in a universal two-tier waiting time: above all in who gets a calendar at all.
Finding 4
Same practice, same appointment type, up to 112 days apart
Where both insurance types had a published date at the same practice, the gap becomes directly measurable. The largest gap per specialty, each comparing the identical first appointment at the identical practice.
Days to the next first appointment at the same practice
Largest same-practice gap per specialty, Berlin
Data table (exact values)
| Public (GKV) | Private (PKV) | |
|---|---|---|
| Orthopaedics | 112 days | 1 days |
| ENT | 99 days | 1 days |
| Ophthalmology | 96 days | 2 days |
| Dermatology | 92 days | 1 days |
| Gynaecology | 92 days | 8 days |
Finding 5
English-speaking doctors: available, unevenly spread
Across all profiles, 38% list English as a consultation language. Orthopaedics leads; ophthalmology trails. In psychotherapy, where English-speaking care is a lifeline for internationals, availability is average, but seven in ten surveyed practices require private cover.
Share of profiles listing English as a consultation language
Berlin profile count · all 2,986 reachable profiles
Data table (exact values)
| Share | Count | |
|---|---|---|
| Orthopaedics | 54% | 132 of 244 |
| Dermatology | 43% | 217 of 508 |
| Gynaecology | 39% | 313 of 810 |
| Psychotherapy | 39% | 165 of 420 |
| Cardiology | 38% | 109 of 284 |
| ENT | 34% | 116 of 337 |
| Ophthalmology | 23% | 88 of 383 |
Conclusions
What these numbers mean, stated plainly
The conclusions below stay within what the data can support.
- Online direct booking in Berlin is largely a private-insurance channel. Privately insured patients could book at 91% of sampled practices; publicly insured patients at 47%. The convenience layer of German healthcare has a default insurance type, and it is private.
- The gap is configured, not coincidental. 166 of the 189 practices that showed public patients nothing had an open, bookable private appointment at the same moment, and one in five practices excludes public patients from the online first appointment outright. These are settings, chosen practice by practice.
- In psychotherapy, private cover is close to a precondition for online access. 69% of surveyed Berlin psychotherapists treat private patients only, and among bookable practices, more than half showed public patients no first session at all.
- Public patients are not locked out of care, but out of convenience. The same referral-free appointment that a private patient books in minutes requires phone calls, a GP visit or the 116117 service for a public patient. This study measures that convenience gap, nothing more and nothing less.
- For English speakers, the two gaps overlap by field. English-speaking care is findable (38% of profiles); the fields where it is most common are also fields with few public appointments. Whether the same practices are private-only is a question for the next snapshot.
What this means for you
Does this apply to you?
In Berlin, 53% of the 359 sampled practices showed public patients no online appointment; private patients could book at 91%. Whether the private side is open to you depends on three things: how you are employed, what you earn, and your health when you join.
Employed, more than 77,400 euros gross a year
You may leave the public system. Your employer pays half of a private premium, up to 613.22 euros a month in 2026, the same amount it pays towards public insurance.
Self-employed or freelance
You can choose private cover at any income. You pay the full premium yourself, as you already pay the full public contribution today: around 21% of income, care insurance included.
Below 77,400 euros, or staying public
The private calendar is closed to you, the other doors are not. With a referral code, the 116117 appointment service must arrange a specialist appointment within four weeks; practices still book by phone, and none of the seven fields needs a referral.
What it costs in 2026
- Private
- 500 to 600 euros a month at 30, 650 to 750 euros at 40 and 850 to 950 euros at 45, in a very good tariff with a deductible of up to 600 euros, care insurance included. Employees get half paid by the employer.
- Public
- 21.1% of income with children, 21.7% without, care insurance included; at the contribution cap about 1,226 to 1,261 euros a month.
When we advise against switching
- From about 50 with a medical history
- From about 50 when your pension will be the state pension
- One earner with two or three children: free family cover exists only in the public system
- Self-employed with an income that swings strongly
The way back into the public system narrows with age and usually closes at 55.
Unsure what this means for your own health insurance?
A free 30-minute call. We check whether you can switch, what it would cost you, and whether it is worth it in your case. If it is not, we say so.
Common questions
Do publicly insured patients need a referral to see these specialists?
No. Public patients in Germany may see dermatologists, orthopaedists, cardiologists, gynaecologists, ENT doctors, ophthalmologists and psychotherapists directly. A referral is only mandatory for fields such as radiology or laboratory medicine, none of which are part of this study. Practices may still ask for a referral as their own policy.
Does this mean public patients cannot get appointments at all?
No. The study measures the online direct-booking channel on a single day. Phone and GP referral are open to everyone, and publicly insured patients can also use the appointment service 116117. What the data shows is that the convenient digital path that private patients use freely is largely unavailable to them.
Do private patients always wait less at the same practice?
Not always. At 159 Berlin practices both insurance types could book. At 106 the dates were identical, at 47 the private patient came first, at 6 the public patient, with single-practice gaps up to 112 days. The larger inequality is access: 53% of sampled practices showed public patients no appointment at all, while 91% offered private patients one.
Am I allowed to switch to private insurance?
Employees may leave the public system once their gross salary is above the Jahresarbeitsentgeltgrenze (JAEG), 77,400 euros a year in 2026. Self-employed people and freelancers can choose private cover at any income, civil servants generally. Everyone else stays in the public system. Being allowed in is the first step; insurers also ask about your health and can add a surcharge, exclude a condition or decline. Who can get private health insurance in Germany?
What does private insurance cost compared with public insurance?
Private premiums depend on your age and health when you join, not on your income. In 2026 a healthy applicant pays around 500 to 600 euros a month at 30, 650 to 750 euros at 40 and 850 to 950 euros at 45, in a very good tariff with a deductible of up to 600 euros, care insurance included; employers pay half of that, up to 613.22 euros a month. Public insurance takes 21.1% of gross income with children and 21.7% without, care insurance included, up to about 1,226 to 1,261 euros a month at the contribution cap. How much does health insurance cost in Germany?
Does private insurance mean better treatment?
Not by itself. Public and private patients see the same doctors and the same hospitals. This study measures one thing only: whether a practice shows an online appointment and how soon. It says nothing about the quality of treatment, and nothing about whether private cover is the right choice for any one person.
Is the consultation with TheGoodBroker really free?
Yes, all of it: the call, the comparison across the whole market, the application and every question in the years after. Brokers are paid by the insurer you eventually choose, and German insurers charge the same premium with or without a broker. If private cover is not the right fit, we say so. How the free consultation works
Read next
Related guides
- Who can get private health insurance in Germany? (2026)
- How much does health insurance cost in Germany?
- Is private health insurance worth it in Germany?
- Can I switch back from private to public health insurance?
- GKV calculator for 2026
- How to book a doctor in Germany as an expat
- Glossary: Jahresarbeitsentgeltgrenze (JAEG), the salary threshold
Reading aid
How to read the numbers
- Bookable practice
- A doctor's practice (in German: Praxis) with active online booking on Doctolib on the snapshot day. Practices without online booking are counted in the profile count and never enter the availability figures.
- First appointment
- The earliest appointment a new patient can book for the specialty's standard first visit, queried twice at the same practice: once as a publicly insured patient (GKV, the system that TK, AOK or Barmer belong to), once as a privately insured patient (PKV).
- 98-day window
- How far ahead we looked, about three months. "No appointment" means the calendar showed nothing bookable for that insurance type in the whole window. Waits beyond it come from the platform's own next-appointment field and are labelled as platform figures.
- Median wait
- The middle value: half of the bookable practices offered a sooner appointment, half a later one. Medians count only practices where that insurance type could book at all, so a short median can sit next to a large share of practices with no appointment.
- Accepted insurance (as stated on the profile)
- Whether the profile says which patients the practice treats: publicly and privately insured, or privately insured only. Behind it is how a practice bills. A practice with a public licence (in German: Kassenzulassung) bills the public insurers and treats both groups; a private practice (Privatpraxis) has no such licence and bills privately insured and self-paying patients directly. Only some profiles state this, and private-only shares are always reported against the profiles that do.
Method and limits
What this study measures, and what it does not
- Two layers. A count of all 2,986 reachable profiles (languages, which insurance the profile says it accepts, online bookability), and a sample of 359 bookable practices, roughly 50 per specialty, drawn evenly across all result pages to avoid the platform's availability-based ranking bias.
- Platform and insurance categories. The platform surveyed is Doctolib, Germany's largest medical booking platform. The private query corresponds to the platform's own category for privately insured patients; self-paying patients use the same channel. Both queries per practice ran immediately one after the other on the snapshot day.
- Digital access only. Appointments by phone or via a GP referral are open to both insurance types. Publicly insured patients can also use the appointment service 116117 (Terminservicestelle), which arranges an appointment within four weeks with a referral code and is not available to private patients. The finding is precisely that the direct digital channel open to private patients is largely closed to public patients.
- No referral is legally required for any of the seven specialties studied. The comparison concerns the identical referral-free first appointment for both insurance types. The platform encodes referral requirements in structured form; none of the sampled first appointments carried one.
- Snapshot, not a season. Practices release appointments in waves. Where booking is enabled but no appointment appeared, closed public quotas and genuinely full calendars cannot be fully separated from one day of data; the open private calendars at the same practices point to closed quotas. The study repeats quarterly.
- Accepted insurance is stated by 55% of profiles; private-only shares are reported against that base and labelled as such. English listing is the practice's own declaration.
- Where both insurance types could book at the same practice, the two dates are compared directly (159 Berlin practices: 106 identical, 47 earlier for private patients, 6 earlier for public patients). One ophthalmology practice excluded private patients from online first appointments, the reverse of the general pattern. It is counted and reported.
- Second platform. A spot check of the twelve top-listed Berlin dermatology profiles on the second-largest platform (Jameda) showed the same booking logic: split insurance steps, the same private-heavy top ranks, and several identical practices. A plausibility check, not a second sample.
Funding and conflict of interest. TheGoodBroker advises on private health insurance and may receive commission from an insurer when a policy is concluded. This study was not funded or influenced by any insurer. Method and aggregate results are published for independent review. The study measures booking availability; it makes no statement on whether private health insurance is the better choice for any individual.
Sources. [1] § 75 Abs. 1a SGB V: the appointment service 116117 must arrange a specialist appointment within four weeks for patients with a referral code. [2] § 76 SGB V: free choice of doctor in the public system. [3] Bundesmantelvertrag-Ärzte § 13 Abs. 4: the specialties that require a referral (laboratory medicine, radiology, nuclear medicine, pathology and others); none of the seven fields in this study is among them. Legal position as at September 2026.
Cite this study
Every figure on this page may be reused with attribution. Suggested citations:
Press enquiries: Jonas Marx, j.marx@thegoodbroker.de. Releases and material on the press page. Figures, charts and the CSV are free to reuse with attribution.
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (reuse with attribution and link).
The series
Six metropolitan regions, one method, one day
Each city is surveyed and published separately, in an English and a German edition, so that every result can be cited on its own. A combined report brings the six regions together.
TheGoodBroker · Independent insurance broker (licensed under Sec. 34d German Trade Code). This study reports measured booking availability. It is not medical advice, not an assessment of treatment quality, and no statement about individual insurers or tariffs. Data collected from publicly accessible booking pages; no personal data was gathered; practice names are withheld.
