Medical facilities in Berlin

There are more than 80 hospitals with roughly 20,000 beds in Berlin. They provide their patients with the complete spectrum of medical care. Complex treatment and surgery are performed using highly specialized medical equipment. Inpatients benefit from close and precise monitoring and care at all times. Berlin’s hospitals offer diagnosis, treatment and follow-up care in all specialist medical fields and for virtually every conceivable medical condition.

Hospitals in Berlin differ in terms of size and specialization. Apart from those offering primary care, there are hospitals specialized in particular diseases such as cardiological or orthopaedic conditions. Then there are what are known as maximum-level care providers, which treat complex and complicated conditions in line with the latest scientific findings. These include all of the Charité’s sites, plus some of the Vivantes and Helios hospitals. University hospitals like the Charité additionally combine their work with scientific research and teaching.

Medical rehabilitation is a medical discipline in its own right in Germany, and is on offer in specialist hospitals. Its aim is to fully restore patients to health so that they can again cope with their personal and work lives under their own steam. Rehabilitation takes place following cardiovascular operations and includes an exercise and diet regime to ensure that the patient can lead a healthier life again. After orthopaedic surgery, patients have to relearn motor skills, while oncological rehabilitation is designed to teach patients how to make the necessary lifestyle changes.

In terms of their organizational structure, Berlin’s hospitals are run by various institutions – some public, some private and others non-profit. Though this makes no difference when it comes to providing high-quality medical care, the style of and approach to patient care may differ from one hospital to another.

Selection of hospitals

Quality is taken very seriously in the German healthcare system, and this is no less true in Berlin. Hospitals are legally required to guarantee and document the quality of the medical services they provide. Specific quality indicators are defined for numerous areas. Hospitals have a legal obligation to submit structured quality reports each year, which are generally available to patients online. One quality assurance measure is that hospitals are only allowed to offer treatments of which they perform a minimum number per year. This ensures that they have the necessary expertise.

German quality regulations also include strict rules governing hospital hygiene practices. This is intended to curb the spread of multi-drug resistant bacteria (e.g. MRSA, ESBL), thereby protecting patients from life-threatening infections. Hygiene regulations may include extensive examinations of patients upon admission. Strict regulations may apply to visitors if there is any suspicion of germs. If the suspicion is confirmed, patients are treated on quarantine wards so as to protect other patients from infection.

Thanks to such intensive quality assurance measures, the standards of healthcare in Germany are very high. To further improve medical care, numerous initiatives are in place to promote active error management. Renowned hospitals play a leading role in the quality committees by setting a good example themselves.

In addition to the hospital-based doctors, another 9,200 doctors in Berlin work in general and specialist practices which deliver ambulatory care. They have the same qualifications as doctors in hospitals, and indeed will in many cases have worked in hospitals themselves before moving to their practice. To acquire the title “medical specialist”, they will have completed several years of further training and passed the requisite exams.

With its huge number of doctors in medical practices, Berlin offers the widest imaginable range of specialist medical facilities and disciplines. Besides general practitioners, you will also find paediatricians, dentists, orthodontists and dermatologists. Cardiologists, oncologists, radiotherapists and many others are also available.

In many cases, several specialists work together in a shared practice. This is an advantage for patients, as it gives them access to all the necessary medical expertise relating to a particular condition under one roof. They also profit directly from the interdisciplinary exchange between the doctors. For example, a specialist orthopaedic centre will offer conservative or surgical treatment for every conceivable orthopaedic condition – including diagnostic radiology and follow-up physiotherapy.

Selection of doctor's surgeries