Medical billing
Germany — the GOÄ and GOZ private billing schedules and their multiplier limits
NationalDEDerived or secondary source
Germany
- Rule id
- medical.de
- Version
- 1.0.0
- In force from
- January 1, 1983
- Last read against its sources
- August 5, 2026
- Countries bound
- Germany
In plain language
What this regime says.
Private medical and dental bills in Germany are calculated from a federal schedule with a bounded multiplier. A bill that does not itemise and justify what it charges is not yet due.
Who is covered
Privately insured, self-paying and Beihilfe patients treated in Germany.
What you get
A compliant, itemised, justified invoice, and a review of the multipliers applied to it.
Where claims go wrong
- Paying a summary invoice. Ask for the itemisation first — it is a condition of the fee being due.
- Accepting a raised multiplier justified by a generic phrase rather than by something specific to your treatment.
- Signing a fee agreement at the desk without noticing that it lifts the ceiling above the schedule range.
Authority
Every citation,
with its pinpoint.
A claim that cites “EU law” gets filed. A claim that cites Article 7(1)(c) gets answered. These are the exact coordinates this entry rests on.
- Gebührenordnung für Ärzte (GOÄ), §§ 2, 5 and 12Gebührenordnung für Ärzte (Federal scale of fees for physicians)URL verified 2026-08-05§ 5 — the fee is calculated by applying a multiplier to the schedule rate, within a range of 1.0 to 3.5; § 12 — the fee only becomes due on a bill that itemises the date, the schedule number, the description, the multiplier and the amount, with written justification where the multiplier exceeds the standard rate; § 2 — a multiplier above 3.5 requires a written fee agreement made before treatment
- Gebührenordnung für Zahnärzte (GOZ), § 5Gebührenordnung für Zahnärzte (Federal scale of fees for dentists)URL verified 2026-08-05§ 5 — the equivalent multiplier range for dental treatment
Sources
Where a figure is indexed, converted or published by a regulator rather than fixed in the instrument, the provenance is recorded separately. Anything marked as a modelled estimate is exactly that — a model, not a statutory number.
- Patientenberatung and the Ärztekammern — complaint routes for private medical billsBundesärztekammerretrieved 2026-08-05
What it imposes
Clocks, defences and the ladder.
A rule module builds these while it evaluates, because a limitation period depends on which forum is open to you. What follows is the structure this regime produces — deliberately with no dates and no figures, because those belong to your facts rather than to the law.
What it entitles you to, beyond money
- A bill that complies with § 12 GOÄ before anything is dueItemised by date, schedule number, description, multiplier and amount, with a specific written justification for every multiplier above the standard rate.
- Review of the multiplier applied to each itemThe multiplier must reflect the difficulty and time of the individual service. Where it has been raised across every line identically, that is itself an indication that it has not been individually assessed.
- Review by your private insurer or Beihilfe officePrivate insurers and the civil-service Beihilfe scheme check GOÄ compliance as a matter of routine and will tell you which items they consider overcharged. Their assessment is free and carries weight with the practice.
Where to take it next
- Write to the practice asking for a § 12-compliant invoiceAsk for the itemisation and the specific justification for each raised multiplier. Say that until a compliant bill is delivered the fee is not due.Claim directtypically 21 days
- Gutachterkommission or Schlichtungsstelle of the regional ÄrztekammerThe regional medical chambers operate free review bodies for disputes between patients and physicians, including billing disputes, and their view is influential.Alternative dispute resolutiontypically 120 days
- AmtsgerichtBinding on themIf the practice sues for the fee, GOÄ non-compliance is a defence. Conversely, a payment made on a non-compliant bill can be reclaimed.Courttypically 240 days
Documents
What this regime can produce.
Every one of these is a document you send yourself, in your own name. Duesday never writes to anybody on your behalf and is never anyone’s agent.
The same claim type elsewhere
EU cross-border healthcare — Directive 2011/24/EU reimbursement, the EHIC and the S2EUSupranational — 27 countriesDirective 2011/24/EU, Arts. 6, 7 and 8Confidence: highFrance — dépassements d'honoraires, secteur 1 and 2, and the OPTAMFRNational — FranceCode de la santé publique, art. R. 4127-53Confidence: mediumIreland — public hospital charges, medical cards and the HSE complaints routeIENational — IrelandHealth Act 1970 (as amended)Confidence: lowItaly — Servizio Sanitario Nazionale, the ticket and the URP routeITNational — ItalyLegge 23 dicembre 1978, n. 833Confidence: lowNetherlands — NZa tariffs, the eigen risico and the SKGZ dispute routeNLNational — NetherlandsWet marktordening gezondheidszorg (Wmg), art. 35Confidence: mediumSpain — Sistema Nacional de Salud coverage and the right to economic informationESNational — SpainLey 41/2002, de autonomía del pacienteConfidence: lowUnited Kingdom — NHS charging, overseas visitor invoices and private healthcareGBNational — United KingdomNational Health Service Act 2006, s. 1(4)Confidence: mediumArizona surprise out-of-network bill dispute resolution (A.R.S. § 20-3111 et seq.)US-AZSub-national — United StatesA.R.S. § 20-3111 et seq.Confidence: medium
Other rights in the same countries
European Union — delivery rights on consumer sales (Directive 2011/83/EU, Art. 18)EUSupranational — 30 countriesDirective 2011/83/EU, Art. 18Confidence: mediumEuropean Union — price indication, drip pricing, pre-ticked extras and surchargingEUSupranational — 27 countriesDirective 98/6/EC, arts. 2(a) and 3(1)Confidence: highEuropean Union — rail passenger rights (Regulation (EU) 2021/782)EUSupranational — 30 countriesRegulation (EU) 2021/782, Art. 19Confidence: highEuropean Union — Representative Actions Directive (EU) 2020/1828EUSupranational — 27 countriesDirective (EU) 2020/1828 on representative actions for the protection of the collective interests of consumersConfidence: highEU cross-border healthcare — Directive 2011/24/EU reimbursement, the EHIC and the S2EUSupranational — 27 countriesDirective 2011/24/EU, Arts. 6, 7 and 8Confidence: highEU air carrier liability for baggage (Regulation (EC) No 2027/97)EUSupranational — 31 countriesRegulation (EC) No 2027/97, Art. 1 (as amended by Regulation (EC) No 889/2002)Confidence: highEU ePrivacy Directive and GDPR (direct marketing)EUSupranational — 30 countriesDirective 2002/58/EC (ePrivacy Directive), Art. 13Confidence: mediumEU General Data Protection RegulationEUSupranational — 30 countriesRegulation (EU) 2016/679, Arts. 15–21Confidence: high
Does this one reach your facts?
The engine runs every regime that could apply at once and reconciles them, rather than making you guess which page to read.
Not a law firm. Not legal advice. You send it yourself. This page describes a law; it is not advice about your situation and no outcome is promised.