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Treatment by the head physician and a single room: what do optional services cost?

In the hospital you are offered 'treatment by the head physician' or a single room? These are optional services that go beyond the normal care, and you have to pay for them additionally, provided you validly agree to them.

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Optional services such as treatment by the head physician or a single or double room are not a statutory health insurance benefit. You pay for them yourself or through private supplementary insurance. The normal, medically necessary care is always secured regardless of this.
Optional services must be agreed in writing before they are provided, and the hospital must inform you about the costs beforehand. Without a valid optional services agreement there is no obligation to pay, even if in fact the head physician treated you.

What you should do now

  1. 1

    1. Question the necessity

    The medically necessary care is secured even without an optional service; optional services are voluntary.

  2. 2

    2. Check the agreement

    Was the optional service agreed in writing before the treatment and were the costs explained?

  3. 3

    3. Clarify insurance

    Do you have hospital supplementary insurance that covers the head physician or room?

  4. 4

    4. Check the bill

    Without a valid agreement you can object to an optional services bill.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to pay for treatment by the head physician?

Only if you validly agreed to treatment by the head physician as an optional service. Optional services must be agreed in writing before they are provided, and the hospital must inform you about the costs. If such a valid agreement is missing, there is no obligation to pay, even if in fact the head physician treated you.

Do I get good treatment even without optional services?

Yes. Your health insurance fund fully covers the medically necessary care regardless of optional services. Optional services such as treatment by the head physician or a single room concern comfort and service aspects, not the quality of the necessary medical treatment. They are voluntary and subject to charge.

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We put together the ready-made texts and the right places to contact for you.

General information for self-help, not legal advice (RDG). In case of a high loss or uncertainty: contact a consumer advice center or a lawyer.