How 116117 Works in Frankfurt: KV Hessen's Own Rules, and the Office Sitting Right Downtown

The Official Rule, Run From Its Own Front Door

Getting a specialist appointment as a statutory (GKV) patient in Frankfurt runs through the same nationwide 116117 mechanism as everywhere else in Germany, with one detail that makes Frankfurt’s version slightly different to research: the office running it is not somewhere else in Hesse, it sits right in the city. The Kassenärztliche Vereinigung Hessen (KVH) operates the Terminservicestelle (TSS) for the entire state from its own headquarters at Europa-Allee 90, 60486 Frankfurt am Main, the same address listed for KVH generally.

KVH’s own published pages are not fully consistent about when the TSS phone line is actually staffed. The dedicated Terminservicestelle page states “Montag bis Freitag, 7 bis 17 Uhr,” while KVH’s separate 116117 Patientenservice overview page gives “Montag bis Freitag, 8 bis 16 Uhr” instead. Rather than picking one and hoping, calling 069 24741-7777 and letting the automated system route the call is the more reliable approach. That phone line is only the appointment-mediation side. The ärztlicher Bereitschaftsdienst (on-call medical service), reached on the same 116117 number, runs around the clock every day of the year for something that genuinely cannot wait but is not a 112 emergency.

Referrals, the Vermittlungscode, and a 35-Day Pledge Worth Knowing By Name

Most specialists still require a referral (Überweisung), with the same short list of exceptions KVH publishes: Hausarzt, Kinderarzt, Augenarzt, and Frauenarzt visits skip the referral system entirely, book those directly. For everything else, the referral carries the one detail 116117 actually needs: a Vermittlungscode, a 12-digit alphanumeric string generated directly in the doctor’s practice management software the moment a referral is issued, per the Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung’s own nationwide guidance to practices, the same software every KV region’s member practices run, Hesse’s included. It is valid for 28 days from issuance, so a referral left sitting in a drawer effectively expires as a 116117 fast-track well before the paper itself looks outdated.

When your doctor marks the case dringend, KVH’s own Terminservicestelle page states a promise of a maximum of 35 days to an appointment. That is worth knowing by KVH’s own number specifically, since federal consumer-protection guidance and other regions’ pages often describe the same underlying nationwide right as roughly “4 weeks.” The two framings land within a few days of each other rather than contradicting one another, but if you are budgeting your own timeline against an urgent referral in Frankfurt, KVH’s own 35-day figure is the one to hold the office to.

Photo by Leeloo The First on Pexels

Psychotherapy’s Own, Faster Clock

116117 mediates psychotherapy access too, and it needs no referral or code at all. Per 116117.de’s national psychotherapy rules, which KVH applies the same way every other KV region does, the mandatory first step is a psychotherapeutische Sprechstunde, a consultation that determines what kind of treatment actually fits your situation. If the consulting therapist decides your case needs Akutbehandlung, acute treatment available without separate Krankenkasse pre-approval, KVH’s own page states that window tightens to a maximum of two weeks.

The Oversupply Question, and Why One Citywide Number Rarely Settles It

Bedarfsplanung, Hesse’s official needs-based plan for where new practices may open, formally closes a specialty to new admissions in a planning area once local physician density passes 110 percent of the target ratio under Paragraph 101 SGB V. KVH’s own Bedarfsplanung page confirms the mechanism, but it does not carry one single, current, citywide Frankfurt percentage on the pages checked for this guide, and older figures reported for Frankfurt in the past are not something this research could confirm still holds today. A specialty rated comfortably supplied on paper can still leave an individual family waiting well past what feels reasonable, particularly in a specific neighborhood or during a specific week of the quarter, and that mismatch is precisely the gap 116117’s mediation right exists to bridge. If a specialty you need looks “full” in practice, use the number rather than assuming an old or citywide statistic settles the question either way.

Step by Step

1. Check whether your appointment even needs a referral firstHausarzt, Kinderarzt, Augenarzt, Frauenarzt, and a first psychotherapy consultation all skip the referral system entirely.
2. For any other specialist, get an Überweisung with the urgency markedAsk your doctor to mark it dringend if it genuinely applies, since that unlocks KVH's 35-day pledge.
3. Use the 12-digit Vermittlungscode within 28 days of issuanceIt is generated the moment your referral is created and expires as a 116117 fast-track after that window.
4. Call 069 24741-7777 rather than assuming a specific set of hoursKVH's own pages disagree slightly on when the phone line is staffed; the automated system will route you correctly either way.
5. Outside whatever those hours turn out to be, know the same 116117 still worksIt reaches the round-the-clock ärztlicher Bereitschaftsdienst instead, for something urgent that is not a 112 emergency.
6. If a specialty looks "oversupplied" on paper but you genuinely cannot get seen, use 116117 anywayKVH's own planning figures and the lived reality of getting an appointment do not always line up.

Compliance Note

This page explains the general mechanics of Germany’s 116117 appointment-mediation system as KV Hessen operates it, based on official KVH, KBV, 116117.de, and Verbraucherzentrale guidance current as of mid-2026. It is not medical advice, and specific rules, referral requirements, and phone hours can change. For your own situation, confirm current details directly with your doctor, your Krankenkasse, or KV Hessen’s own Terminservicestelle.