Ministerio de Sanidad

As an organisational unit within the German Liaison Agency Health Insurance - International (DVKA), we are part of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds (GKV-Spitzenverband). EU-PATIENTEN.DE is funded by the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds, by the German Hospital Federation, by the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, and by the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Dentists, as well as by the private health insurance funds. Our work is based on the directives of the European Commission and on German laws to improve the quality of information provided to patients when taking up cross-border healthcare services. EU-PATIENTEN.DE is therefore a non-competitive platform providing information to patients and healthcare providers in order to answer all these questions. Our goal is to bring together the information that is already available on taking up cross-border healthcare services - particularly on the Internet - and make it accessible to you on a central platform. All information provided on our website, as well as any queries which you might send us, are free of charge to you. Why was EU-PATIENTEN.DE established? The objective of the European Commission in Brussels was to improve the standard of information available to patients who would like to receive a healthcare service (such as treatment by a doctor) in another EU Member State. These claims are based on the Patients Mobility Directive (Directive 2011/24/EU). Each Member State had to establish a National Contact Point by 25 October 2013 for this purpose. EU-PATIENTEN.DE is the National Contact Point for cross-border healthcare in Germany. Do similar facilities exist in other countries? There is one or more National Contact Point for cross-border healthcare in each of the 28 Member States of the European Union. These are all networked with one another. Although it is not obliged to do so, Norway too has established a National Contact Point. What is the target group of EU-PATIENTEN.DE? EU-PATIENTEN.DE primarily targets patients from Germany and other European Union Member States who would like to have a healthcare service performed abroad. We also provide information for health insurance funds and healthcare providers such as physicians and hospitals. What can EU-PATIENTEN.DE do for me? EU-PATIENTEN.DE will help you find suitable healthcare providers at home and abroad. The National Contact Point will also help you deal with rare diseases or new treatment methods. We particularly provide information on claims related to cross-border healthcare, appeals procedures, patients' rights, the cost assumption procedure, quality and safety regulations, etc. EU-PATIENTEN.DE works closely together with the National Contact Points from other Member States, thus enabling it to provide highly comprehensive information. We can establish contacts with these facilities on request and will be happy to act as an intermediary. When should I contact EU-PATIENTEN.DE?