F.A.Q.

Sanoom cooperates with leading medical institutions – private and publically owned – throughout Germany, that cover the entire spectrum of medical problems. After we have discussed your individual situation and understood what kind of treatment or service you need, we will recommend you

1. an excellent clinic or specialists and
2. one of  the  independent qualified patient agencies from our network. 

The patient agency will guide you through the process and take care of all relevant steps (e.g. negotiation  with the clinic, arrangement of your visa and the first round of invoice checking) in order to make your stay as pleasant as possible 

In order to get a medical treatment visa you need an official invitation from a clinic in Germany. Basically, you can come with any visa. The only difference is that it is more difficult to extend a tourist visa in Germany if you need to stay longer than originally expected for treatment. Therefore, we recommend that you apply for a medicalvisa. It confirms that a person needs immediate treatment or examination in Germany in order to prevent irreversible consequences for your health. To receive such an invitation, you need to select a medical facility, contact it and arrange treatment or consultation – Sanoom’s qualified patient agencies will be happy to take care of this for you. They will help you to find a clinic, negotiate with them on your behalf and get the necessary invitation and documents send to you.

 You can receive an invitation within a few days. The earliest possible start of your  treatment depends on the diagnosis. The clearer the diagnosis,  the simplier and faster is the process. In such a case the patient agency can immediately seek the advice of the most suited specialist for your individual health issue. If the presence of a scientific light is required in a specific area, the start of your treatment will unfortunately be postponed. Our patient agencies will try their utmost to shorten your waiting time as much as possible and will guide you through the entire process.

Within the German healthcare system, there are legally prescribed billing rates per treatment step. These can be found in the so-called “Gebührenordnung für Ärzte” (GoÄ).

Consequently, prices vary based on the scope of services provided and on your specific diagnosis. We and/or our patient agency can provide you with an approximate estimate after an initial discussion.

After completion of your treatment, you are provided with a detailed final invoice by the clinic.  It is general business practise that you have to directly pay the clinic. We are happy to assist you with invoice control.
For the services the patient agency will receive a small % of the total treatment cost.

Prices for medical services do not depend on whether it is a private or a public clinic: If complex diagnoses are involved and consultation with specialists in various fields is required, we recommend contacting a large interdisciplinary medical center. This may be university hospitals (e.g. UKE Klinik Hamburg). If the diagnosis involves treatment by a specialist (e.g. shoulder surgery), a private specialist clinic may also be recommended (e.g. ATOS clinic)

The following factors will also have an influence on your total invoice:

• the treatment is done on an inpatient or outpatient basis;
• accommodation in a single or double room;
• duration of stay in the intensive care unit;
• the rank of the treating physician (Prof., chief physician, Dr., Department Physician).

A standard check-up program costs between €2.500- 5.000. An extended program varies between €5.000-10.000. You can find more detailed information about the possible elements that a check-up might include on our start page.

Depending on the programme and additional elements you choose, a general check-up will take one to a maximum of three days.

As a rule, payments must be made in cash or by credit card at the clinic’s cashier’s office immediately before the start of treatment.

If you pay for the treatment by bank transfer to the clinic’s account, you will receive a confirmation of payment from the clinic, based on which you can apply for a medical visa to stay in Germany for the duration of the treatment.

The prerequisite for a medical treatment in the current situation is an urgent medical need. The patient’s condition should require medical intervention:  either a treatment or consultation. To come to Germany for medical reasons, you need a valid visa and an official invitation from a medical institution that is willing and able to treat you.

There are indeed some clinics – mostly state-owned – that do right now not accept patients from abroad. The reason behind is that they do not want to expose existing patients (and especially those that are fragile or belong to a risk group) to additional risk factors. Therefore certain departments (e.g. cardiology) may also be closed for visitors. This is a political decision made at the level of management and leadership of a particular institution. The story is absolutely individual, the situation can change within a day or two. We constantly review the latest developments and will inform you accordingly.