Health - Sick leave by telephone possible again
Under certain conditions, patients will in future be able to obtain a sick note from their doctor's surgery by telephone. The regulation applies with immediate effect, as announced by the Joint Federal Committee of doctors, health insurance companies and clinics based in Berlin on Thursday.
According to the information provided, the regulation applies to patients who are known to the respective doctor's practice and do not have any severe symptoms. Another prerequisite is that video consultations are not possible. Doctors can then issue a certificate of incapacity to work for a maximum of five days. The telephone sick note is intended to relieve the burden on practice teams and reduce the risk of infection in waiting rooms.
During the coronavirus crisis, there had already been a special regulation on telephone sick notes that had been extended several times. It expired in spring. The new decision makes the regulation permanent. In the summer, the Federal Joint Committee was instructed by law by the traffic light coalition to establish corresponding regulations on telephone sick notes.
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- This new regulation for obtaining a sick note by telephone was announced by the Joint Federal Committee, which is based in Berlin, Germany.
- The medical practice in Germany now allows patients with known health conditions and no severe symptoms to obtain a sick note by telephone, reducing the risk of infection in waiting rooms.
- Doctors in Germany can issue a certificate of incapacity to work for up to five days through a telephone sick note, a measure initially implemented during the coronavirus crisis and now made permanent by the Federal Joint Committee.
- The German government, through the traffic light coalition, instructed the Federal Joint Committee last summer to establish regulations regarding telephone sick notes, aiming to relieve the burden on practice teams and protect public health.
Source: www.stern.de
