The telephone sick note ends on June 1st - from now on patients have to go back to the doctor's office

Created: 05/31/2022, 17:07

By: Stella Henrich

Due to the infection process during the corona pandemic, it was possible to write sick notes by telephone for many months.

In this way, infections in the waiting room of doctor's offices should be avoided.

This regulation ends on June 1st.

Munich ‒ After more than two years, sick leave by phone is ending.

From June 1st, patients will have to go to the doctor's office in person or can use the video consultation.

The joint federal committee of doctors, clinics and health insurance companies has now announced this.

The current development of the corona pandemic makes this decision possible.

This means that the special regulation for patients, which has been extended several times, will expire.

Until now, patients with mild colds and respiratory illnesses could have their inability to work certified by telephone.

Anyone suffering from symptoms could have their doctor write them off for seven days.

If an extension was then required, this could be requested once for a further seven days - also by telephone.

According to experts, the regulation had relieved the practice staff enormously.

People must have waited longer before going to the doctor

Helmut Schröder, Deputy Managing Director of the AOK Scientific Institute in Berlin

In a press release from his institute, Helmut Schröder, deputy managing director of the AOK's scientific institute, is quoted as saying that doctors and employees have dealt with this temporary regulation responsibly.

Overall, there were fewer cases of incapacity to work in the examined pandemic months (March 2020 to July 2021) than in the previous comparison period (minus 12.4 percent).

However, the duration of illness per case has increased: from twelve days per case in 2019 to 13.8 days per case in 2020. "People have probably waited longer before they go to the doctor," explains Helmut Schröder the result of the AOK Investigation.

Telephone sick note: The regulation did not apply to patients suspected of having Covid-19

Anyone who had more severe symptoms such as fever and shortness of breath or if there was a reasonable suspicion of an infection with Sars-CoV-2 did not apply to the regulation for calling in sick.

Patients with such symptoms or suspected Covid-19 should first call the practice and then either visit them after consultation or contact one of the coronavirus contact points set up in many hospitals.

Sick leave by phone ends on June 1st.

Whether she will come back depends on the course of the corona infection in autumn of this year.

(Iconic image) © K. Schmitt/imago

It has not yet been decided whether the regulation to get sick leave by phone will come back at a later date.

However, it is possible that sick leave by telephone will be permitted again in autumn if the incidence of infection should increase again.

The infection rate in Germany is currently calming down, as current figures from the Robert Koch Institute show.

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By the way: Anyone who is on sick leave receives three versions of the certificate: The main document is for the health insurance company to guarantee payment of sick pay in the event of a longer illness.

The first copy is for the employer, the second for your own documents.

And if you want to read up on how to call in sick properly when your nose is running and your head is pounding, you should do some research beforehand to avoid a warning.