Germany to reform physician compensation starting 2027

The GKV-Beitragssatzstabilisierungsgesetz, passed on July 24, 2026, will implement significant changes to physician compensation in Germany starting in 2027. The law aims to stabilize statutory health insurance contributions and limit expenditure growth.

As part of these reforms, several extra-budgetary payments will be phased out and integrated into the morbidity-based total compensation. This includes payments for TSS appointment and acute cases, GP referral cases, and services provided during open consultation hours. While these additional fees will be removed, the structural obligations for doctors to facilitate appointment referrals and maintain open consultation hours remain unchanged.

Specifically, starting January 1, 2027, the referral of urgent specialist appointments by general practitioners or pediatricians will no longer be remunerated separately. Consequently, the evaluation committee has removed billing numbers 03008 (for GPs) and 04008 (for pediatricians) from the EBM (Uniform Value Scale). This creates a tension between the economic viability of medical practices and their existing legal mandate to provide outpatient care.