Private prescription online: process, costs, redeeming and what can be prescribed by video

What a private prescription is and how it differs from a statutory one

A private prescription is a medical order whose costs are not borne by statutory health insurance. You buy the medicine at the pharmacy at full price. Privately insured people submit the receipt to their insurer; statutorily insured people bear the cost themselves. Medically, a private prescription is equivalent to a statutory one: the same rules on prescription requirement (section 48 of the Medicinal Products Act) and on the form of the prescription (section 2 of the Medicinal Products Prescription Ordinance) apply to both.

Private telemedicine such as OpenClinic24 works exclusively with private prescriptions because the service is provided outside the statutory system. This has two consequences: you pay for consultation and medicine yourself, and in return you get fast, documented access to a medical prescription, without a waiting room.

When prescribing by video is permitted

Since 2018, section 7(4) of the (Model) Professional Code has allowed doctors to treat exclusively via communication media in individual cases if this is medically justifiable, the required care is maintained and the patient has been informed about the particularities. This also permits prescribing by video. The limit is set by medical care: what cannot be safely assessed without examination, laboratory tests or imaging must not be prescribed.

The video consultation is therefore particularly suitable for:

• Conditions with a typical picture and low risk, such as uncomplicated cystitis in otherwise healthy women, hay fever, heartburn, cold sores or genital herpes
• Continuation of a known, well-tolerated long-term medication, such as contraceptives, blood pressure or thyroid medication, when monitoring values are available
• Treatments where the conversation provides the decisive information, such as erectile dysfunction after excluding heart disease and interactions, migraine or smoking cessation
• Travel medicine advice with prescription of malaria prophylaxis or a travel kit

Not suitable are first prescriptions that require an examination (such as antibiotics for unexplained fever, cortisone for an unclear skin finding) and all medicines whose potential for misuse requires personal knowledge of the patient.

What is not prescribed by video

Narcotics are subject to the Narcotics Prescription Ordinance and are prescribed on special forms; prescribing by video is out of the question here. Sedatives and sleeping pills with dependence potential, such as benzodiazepines, and opioids are generally not prescribed in reputable video consultations, even if they are not always formally narcotics. The same applies to medicines requiring close monitoring, such as certain psychotropic drugs during the adjustment phase, anticoagulants without current values or medicines that require pregnancy to be excluded.

Search queries such as “which online doctor prescribes lorazepam” show what many are looking for. The honest answer: a doctor who does this after a short video call without any history is not acting with due care. OpenClinic24 refuses such prescriptions and tells you the right route, usually your GP or a specialist.

How prescribing works at OpenClinic24

1. Describe your concern. You describe your symptoms or your long-term medication, list pre-existing conditions, allergies and other medicines. You can upload photos, for example of the current packaging or a skin finding.
2. Account and reservation. You create an account and add a card; €10.72 is reserved (GOÄ no. 1). Nothing is charged until after the consultation.
3. Video consultation. The doctor asks follow-up questions, checks contraindications and interactions and decides on the prescription. A refusal is also a medical decision, which you receive with reasons.
4. Private prescription and invoice. You will find both in your patient account. The prescription contains all details required by section 2 AMVV: your data, active substance or product, strength, quantity, dosage instructions, date and the details of the prescribing doctor.
5. Redeem. At a local pharmacy or a mail-order pharmacy. Ask which procedure the pharmacy uses for digital private prescriptions.

Redeeming a private prescription: locally or online

Local pharmacies accept private prescriptions on paper or as a displayed document; the procedure for digital private prescriptions varies from pharmacy to pharmacy, a quick phone call clarifies it. Mail-order pharmacies offer upload or postal submission. For prescription-only medicines the pharmacy checks the prescription and retains it; you receive the medicine and a receipt.

For statutorily insured people the e-prescription has been running since 2024 via the health card, the e-prescription app or a paper printout with a code; gematik describes the ways to redeem it. Privately insured people can use the e-prescription if their insurer provides the necessary insurance number and digital identity. OpenClinic24 provides the private prescription as a digital document in your account; redemption works as with a paper prescription.

Validity, repeats, quantities

A private prescription is usually valid for three months from issue, unless the doctor enters a shorter period. The quantity prescribed depends on medical need; for long-term medication a three-month supply is usual, for first prescriptions usually the smallest pack to test tolerance.

Repeat prescriptions require renewed medical contact. For known, stable medication a short conversation is often enough; the doctor may ask for monitoring values, for example blood pressure or thyroid values. Without such values, they will recommend a check-up in a practice before prescribing further.

What it costs

OpenClinic24 bills as a private medical service under the German fee schedule for doctors. The video consultation with advice corresponds to GOÄ no. 1, that is €10.72 at the 2.3-fold rate; this amount is reserved at booking. For an in-depth consultation no. 3 may apply, for additional review of a finding no. 5. A repeat prescription without a new consultation is billed under GOÄ no. 2. Every item appears on the invoice with code, factor and amount; you see the total before confirming.

Add the pharmacy price of the medicine. For some groups of medicines, reimbursement by statutory insurers is excluded anyway (section 34 SGB V), such as medicines for erectile dysfunction, smoking cessation or weight reduction. Here the private prescription makes no difference compared with a statutory practice.

Safety: interactions, allergies, side effects

Mention all medicines in the consultation, including over-the-counter products, food supplements and herbal preparations. Many interactions involve everyday products: St John’s wort weakens the pill, some antibiotics do not go with anticoagulants, painkillers combined with blood pressure medication strain the kidneys. The doctor checks this in the conversation, but only if your information is complete.

After taking the medicine: in case of rash, swelling, shortness of breath or severe malaise, stop and seek medical advice; with shortness of breath or circulatory problems call emergency services. You can also report side effects to the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices; this helps detect rare risks early.