Permanent regulation: Telephone sick leave possible again

Sick leave can be made over the telephone again. Patients can take sick leave for up to five days without having to go to the practice. The regulation should apply permanently.

Under certain conditions, patients can again request sick leave from their doctor’s office by telephone. The regulation applies immediately, as the Federal Joint Committee of doctors, health insurance companies and clinics announced. In the summer, the committee was commissioned by law by the traffic light coalition to determine the relevant regulations. Sick leave by telephone is intended to relieve pressure on doctors’ practices and reduce the risk of infection in waiting rooms and was already possible at times during the corona pandemic.

The new regulation applies to patients who are known to the respective practice and who do not have severe symptoms. A further requirement is that video consultations are not possible. Unlike during Corona times, sick leave by telephone is only possible for up to five days and not for up to seven days.

General practitioners expect the burden on their practices to be relieved

The general practitioner association welcomed the regulation. The medical practices are working “at the limit” due to the current wave of colds and corona, said association chairman Markus Beier Deutschlandfunk. The possibility of taking sick leave over the telephone makes practice processes easier and also helps patients.

According to Beier, the sick note process would involve someone calling reception and then being called back by the doctor for clarification. If the symptoms are more severe, patients should of course continue to come to the practice, emphasized Beier. “We need time for the really sick,” warned the association head.

Disagreement on the possible duration of the Sick note

Medical representatives had advocated for a uniform regulation regarding the possible duration of sick leave over the telephone. They pointed out that this was already possible for seven days with the existing video sick note.

The umbrella association of statutory health insurance companies spoke out against the seven-day rule at the committee meeting. Her representative argued that the opportunities for doctors to assess the illness over the telephone were significantly reduced. Ultimately, it is about issuing a document that must have reliable evidentiary value to the employer.

The new regulation should now apply permanently. It was already clear before the committee meeting that she would come. Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach called it a “significant relief for employees, employers and doctors” in the “Handelsblatt”.