Germany · Combined report, 6 metropolitan regions · Snapshot August 2026
How hard is it to book a specialist appointment in Germany's big cities?
We looked at around 14,400 specialist profiles across Germany's six largest metropolitan regions, on Doctolib, Germany's largest booking platform. At 2,082 practices we then compared directly what the same practice offered a publicly and a privately insured patient. Private patients could book at 85% of these practices and typically waited 7 days. Public patients could book at 48% and waited 21 days. The other 52% showed them no appointment at all for the next three months, and 83% of those practices had open private appointments at that very moment.
Share of practices with a bookable online appointment
Median wait, where booking was possible
Key findings
The results in five sentences
- Publicly insured patients could book a specialist appointment online at 48% of 2,082 sampled practices in Germany's six largest metropolitan regions; privately insured patients at 85%.
- Where booking worked, public patients waited a median of 21 days and private patients 7 days. Counted over all 2,082 practices, 14% offered public patients an appointment within a week, against 45% for private patients.
- The 52% of practices with no public appointment split into 17% that exclude public patients from the online first appointment and 35% that release none; 83% of them (901 of 1,091) had an open private calendar at the same moment.
- By specialty, dermatology (73%), psychotherapy (71%) and cardiology (66%) most often showed public patients nothing; ear, nose and throat (24%) least often.
- Among psychotherapy practices that state whom they treat, 61 to 76% treat private patients only. Where a public first session was bookable at all (79 of 273 practices), the wait was 6 days, the same as for private patients.
Results at a glance
All six regions in two tables
"Bookable" means at least one online appointment for that insurance type within 98 days; medians count bookable practices only; the 7-day shares count all practices.
| Bookable | Median wait, days | Within 7 days | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region | Practices | Public | Private | Public | Private | Public | Private |
| Berlin | 359 | 47% | 91% | 12 | 6 | 22% | 52% |
| Hamburg | 350 | 41% | 83% | 26 | 6 | 13% | 51% |
| Munich | 350 | 58% | 90% | 21 | 8 | 14% | 42% |
| Frankfurt | 323 | 45% | 81% | 33 | 8 | 9% | 37% |
| Dusseldorf region | 350 | 52% | 83% | 21 | 6 | 13% | 45% |
| Cologne region | 350 | 42% | 85% | 27 | 7 | 10% | 45% |
| All six regions | 2,082 | 48% | 85% | 21 | 7 | 14% | 45% |
| No appointment | Median wait, days | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Specialty | Practices | Public | Private | Public | Private |
| Dermatology | 309 | 73% | 18% | 28 | 6 |
| Psychotherapy | 273 | 71% | 21% | 6 | 6 |
| Cardiology | 300 | 66% | 18% | 56 | 7 |
| Orthopaedics | 300 | 47% | 10% | 27 | 6 |
| Gynaecology | 300 | 45% | 11% | 27 | 15 |
| Ophthalmology | 300 | 42% | 14% | 19 | 8 |
| Ear, nose and throat (ENT) | 300 | 24% | 10% | 22 | 5 |
Medians of .5 are rounded up. The anonymised CSV behind both tables is linked in the citation card.
Finding 1
In every city, at least 4 in 10 practices had no online appointment for public patients
From 42% in Munich to 59% in Hamburg, practices showed publicly insured patients (GKV, the system that TK, AOK or Barmer belong to) no online appointment at all within 98 days. Privately insured patients (PKV) met that at 15% of practices.
Practices with no online appointment for public patients, by region
Within 98 days · about 50 practices per specialty and region
Data table (exact values)
| Share | Count | |
|---|---|---|
| Hamburg | 59% | 207 of 350 |
| Cologne | 58% | 202 of 350 |
| Frankfurt | 55% | 178 of 323 |
| Berlin | 53% | 189 of 359 |
| Dusseldorf | 48% | 167 of 350 |
| Munich | 42% | 148 of 350 |
Finding 2
Public patients wait two to four times longer than private patients
In Berlin, public patients wait twice as long as private patients; in Frankfurt four times as long. Over all 2,082 practices, 45% offered private patients an appointment within 7 days and 71% within 28 days; for public patients it was 14 and 27%.
Median days to the next first appointment, by region
Data table (exact values)
| Public (GKV) | Private (PKV) | |
|---|---|---|
| Berlin | 12 days | 6 days |
| Munich | 21 days | 8 days |
| Dusseldorf | 21 days | 6 days |
| Hamburg | 26 days | 6 days |
| Cologne | 27 days | 7 days |
| Frankfurt | 33 days | 8 days |
At single practices the gap is far larger than the medians: 265 against 27 days in Cologne, 195 against 34 in Munich, 187 against 23 in Frankfurt, 112 against 1 in Berlin, and one Dusseldorf cardiology practice whose platform-reported next public appointment lay 552 days out while private patients could come the next day.
If you are on the public side of this chart and earn more than 77,400 euros a year, the other calendar may be open to you. What the switch involves, and when we advise against it: What this means for you.
Finding 3
52% without a public appointment: 17% exclude public patients, 35% release nothing
Two different causes, 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 2,082 bookable practices offered publicly insured patients
One practice with a failed public-insurance query omitted
- 990 · 48% · GKV appointments bookablemedian wait 21 days
- 352 · 17% · excluded from online bookingsame appointment type open to private patients
- 739 · 35% · no GKV appointments released620 with GKV enabled, 119 without an insurance step
Data table (exact values)
| Practices | Share | |
|---|---|---|
| GKV appointments bookable | 990 | 48% |
| excluded from online booking | 352 | 17% |
| no GKV appointments released | 739 | 35% |
These are not empty calendars: 901 of the 1,091 practices without a public appointment showed an open, bookable private appointment at the same moment. Where both insurance types had a published date at the same practice (877 practices), 480 showed the same date; at 372 the private patient came first, at 25 the public patient. The reverse case exists and is counted: 55 practices exclude private patients from online booking, and 113 showed a public appointment but no private one. The inequality sits in access, above all in who gets a calendar at all.
Finding 4
The gap is largest in dermatology, psychotherapy and cardiology
In dermatology and psychotherapy, seven in ten practices showed public patients nothing; in cardiology two in three. Ear, nose and throat (ENT) is the most open field at 24%.
Practices with no online appointment for public patients, by specialty
Six regions pooled
Data table (exact values)
| Share | Count | |
|---|---|---|
| Dermatology | 73% | 226 of 309 |
| Psychotherapy | 71% | 194 of 273 |
| Cardiology | 66% | 198 of 300 |
| Orthopaedics | 47% | 140 of 300 |
| Gynaecology | 45% | 136 of 300 |
| Ophthalmology | 42% | 125 of 300 |
| ENT | 24% | 72 of 300 |
Finding 5
Most psychotherapy practices treat private patients only
Among psychotherapists who state whom they treat, 61% (Frankfurt) to 76% (Hamburg) treat private patients only. No other field comes close in any city. Where a public first session was bookable at all (79 of 273 practices), the wait was 6 days, the same as for private patients: the inequality is in access, not in the wait.
Psychotherapy: private-only share, by region
Among practices that state whom they treat
Data table (exact values)
| Share | Count | |
|---|---|---|
| Hamburg | 76% | 118 of 156 |
| Dusseldorf | 73% | 156 of 215 |
| Cologne | 72% | 148 of 205 |
| Berlin | 69% | 173 of 250 |
| Munich | 62% | 103 of 166 |
| Frankfurt | 61% | 23 of 38 |
Finding 6
English-speaking doctors: 37 to 54% of profiles, most in Dusseldorf and Cologne
37 to 54% of profiles list English as a consultation language, most in the Dusseldorf and Cologne regions. Whether English-speaking practices are more often private-only is not in this chart; that cross-check is planned for the next snapshot.
Share of profiles listing English as a consultation language, by region
Around 14,400 profiles
Data table (exact values)
| Share | Count | |
|---|---|---|
| Dusseldorf | 54% | 1,675 of 3,119 |
| Cologne | 51% | 1,551 of 3,016 |
| Frankfurt | 49% | 641 of 1,297 |
| Munich | 42% | 931 of 2,238 |
| Berlin | 38% | 1,140 of 2,986 |
| Hamburg | 37% | 655 of 1,778 |
Conclusions
What these numbers mean, stated plainly
The conclusions below stay within what the data can support.
- Online direct booking in Germany's cities is largely a private-insurance channel. 85% of sampled practices were bookable for privately insured patients against 48% for publicly insured ones, and 83% of the practices that showed public patients nothing had an open private calendar at the same moment.
- The gap is configured, not coincidental. 17% of practices exclude public patients from the online first appointment outright; a further 30% have public booking switched on but released no appointment in 98 days, and another 6% ran no insurance step and showed no public appointments either. The exclusions are settings, chosen practice by practice; for the rest, one day of data cannot separate quota policy from genuine fullness.
- Where public patients get in, they wait three times as long. Median 21 days against 7, with city medians from 12 to 33 days and single-practice gaps of several hundred days.
- In psychotherapy, private cover is close to a precondition for online access. 61 to 76% of practices that state whom they treat are private-only, and 71% of bookable practices showed public patients no first session.
- Public patients are not locked out of care, but out of convenience. Phone and GP referral are open to everyone; publicly insured patients can also use the appointment service 116117, which is not available to private patients. This study measures the convenience gap of the direct digital channel, nothing more and nothing less.
What this means for you
Does this apply to you?
Across Germany's six largest metropolitan regions, 52% of the 2,082 sampled practices showed public patients no online appointment; private patients could book at 85%. 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. Statutory 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 877 of the 2,082 practices both insurance types could book. At 480 the dates were identical, at 372 the private patient came first, at 25 the public patient. The larger inequality is access: 52% of sampled practices showed public patients no appointment at all, while 85% offered private patients one.
Has this been studied before?
Yes, mostly by phone. In a field experiment by RWI and Cornell University (2017 to 2018, close to 1,000 specialist practices), 85% of calls led to an appointment offer. Public patients then waited 25 days on average, private patients 12. This study looks at online booking instead, where 52% of sampled practices showed public patients no appointment at all. Official statistics on this do not exist.
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 per region. A profile count of around 14,400 reachable profiles across the six regions (languages, which insurance the profile says it accepts, online bookability), and sample totalling 2,082 bookable practices, ~50 per specialty per region, drawn evenly across all result pages to avoid the platform's availability-based ranking bias.
- Scope. This report covers Germany's six largest metropolitan regions (Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Frankfurt, the Dusseldorf region, the Cologne region; N=2,082, every specialty cell n≥23).
- 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 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.
- Snapshot, not a season. Practices release appointments in waves; 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 quota policy. The study repeats quarterly.
- Accepted insurance is the profile's own statement (55 to 59% of profiles per city state it); private-only shares are reported against the profiles that state it. English listing is the practice's own declaration.
- Data quality. Medians count bookable practices only; waits beyond the 98-day scan come from the platform's own next-appointment field and are labelled platform figures. Three availability queries failed and are excluded where affected. In the Cologne file, a deterministic encoding correction of 81 rows is documented on the Cologne page. A Berlin spot check on the second-largest platform (Jameda) showed the same booking logic and no indication of a different picture off-platform.
Earlier research. The best-known German study on this is a field experiment by RWI and Cornell University (fieldwork April 2017 to May 2018, published 2020) [4]. A test caller phoned close to 1,000 specialist practices. By phone, 85% of requests ended with an appointment offer, and private patients were 7% more likely to receive one. Where an appointment was offered, public patients waited 25 days on average, private patients 12. Our waiting times point the same way (median 21 versus 7 days). What differs is the channel: online, 52% of sampled practices showed public patients no appointment at all. Official figures do not exist: German law does not require practices to record or publish consulting hours separately by insurance type [5].
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. [4] Werbeck, Wübker, Ziebarth: “Cream Skimming by Health Care Providers and Inequality in Health Care Access: Evidence From a Randomized Field Experiment”, Ruhr Economic Papers #846; figures from the RWI press release of 25 June 2020. [5] German Bundestag, Research Services, WD 8 - 3000 - 078/25, “Terminvergabe an Patientinnen und Patienten der PKV und der GKV”, completed 19 November 2025, p. 4. 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. This 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.
