Service text
„Untersuchung zur Erhebung des Ganzkörperstatus, gegebenenfalls einschließlich Dokumentation“Not alongside — per the Gebührenverzeichnis (23)
Numbers the fee schedule names together with this one in an exclusion sentence. Open a chip for the wording, in German, and where it stands; about a particular case the sentence says only what it says.
Number 8 is the most comprehensive of the general examinations: the whole-body examination status (Ganzkörperstatus), which the regulation describes in a sentence of its own. 260 points give 15,15 € at the base rate, 34,86 € at 2.3× and 53,04 € at 3.5×. It may not be billed alongside numbers 5, 6, 7 and 800.
GOÄ number 8 in the regulation's own words
The wording itself is short. The detail follows in the provision beneath it — the whole-body examination status covers the skin, the visible mucous membranes, the chest and abdominal organs, the musculoskeletal system, and an orienting neurological examination.
That is why number 8 is excluded alongside number 800: that number values the thorough neurological examination, and the orienting neurological examination is already part of the whole-body examination status. The regulation settles this not through interpretation, but through a sentence in the provisions.
Number 8 is also the reference service for several prevention and screening numbers; number 29, for example, names the examination to establish the complete status expressly as a component and excludes numbers 1, 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8 alongside it.
The sentences below are quoted here exactly as they stand in the Gebührenverzeichnis (fee schedule) — as the general provisions attached directly to number 8. The German wording is the binding legal text; the words after the dash are a working translation for orientation only, not a substitute for the original.
- „Der Ganzkörperstatus beinhaltet die Untersuchung der Haut, der sichtbaren Schleimhäute, der Brust- und Bauchorgane, der Stütz- und Bewegungsorgane, sowie eine orientierende neurologische Untersuchung.“ — the whole-body examination status (Ganzkörperstatus) covers the examination of the skin, the visible mucous membranes, the chest and abdominal organs, the musculoskeletal system, and an orienting neurological examination.
- „Die Leistung nach Nummer 8 ist neben den Leistungen nach den Nummern 5, 6, 7 und/oder 800 nicht berechnungsfähig.“ — number 8 may not be billed alongside numbers 5, 6, 7 and/or 800.
- „Die Leistungen nach den Nummern 1, 3, 5, 6, 7 und/oder 8 können an demselben Tag nur dann mehr als einmal berechnet werden, wenn dies durch die Beschaffenheit des Krankheitsfalls geboten war. Bei mehrmaliger Berechnung ist die jeweilige Uhrzeit der Leistungserbringung in der Rechnung anzugeben. Bei den Leistungen nach den Nummern 1, 5, 6, 7 und/oder 8 ist eine mehrmalige Berechnung an demselben Tag auf Verlangen, bei der Leistung nach Nummer 3 generell zu begründen.“ — the services under numbers 1, 3, 5, 6, 7 and/or 8 may be billed more than once on the same day only where the nature of the medical case required it; where billed more than once, the invoice must state the time each service was performed. For services under Numbers 1, 5, 6, 7 and/or 8, billing more than once on the same day must be justified on request; for the service under Number 3, always.
- „Neben einer Leistung nach Nummer 5, 6, 7 oder 8 sind die Leistungen nach den Nummern 600, 601, 1203, 1204, 1228, 1240, 1400, 1401 und 1414 nicht berechnungsfähig.“ — alongside a service under number 5, 6, 7 or 8, the services under numbers 600, 601, 1203, 1204, 1228, 1240, 1400, 1401 and 1414 may not be billed.
- „Anstelle oder neben der Visite im Krankenhaus sind die Leistungen nach den Nummern 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 und/oder 15 nicht berechnungsfähig.“ — in place of or alongside a hospital visit (Visite), the services under numbers 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and/or 15 may not be billed.
The multiplier (Steigerungssatz) for number 8
Section B: from the base multiplier up to 3.5×, with 2.3× as the range within which the fee is usually set under § 5 Abs. 2 Satz 4.
For a service whose scope the regulation itself lists out, § 5 Abs. 2 Satz 3 carries particular weight: what is already accounted for in the service description stays out of the fee assessment.
Above the 2.3× multiplier, § 12 Abs. 3 GOÄ applies: the justification must be written, tied to the individual service, and understandable and traceable for the person who owes payment.
What the record must contain for number 8
A whole-body examination produces more individual findings in a short time than any other number in this section, and all of them belong in one entry. That is exactly where a practice is most likely to fall back on memory and add the record in the evening.
§ 630f Abs. 1 BGB requires the record to be made in immediate temporal connection with the treatment. § 630h Abs. 3 BGB attaches a consequence to that which is not a formality: if an essential measure is not documented, it is presumed not to have been taken.
The wording includes documentation where applicable. It is therefore part of the service the fee covers — not the part that gets postponed.
Frequently asked questions
What does the whole-body examination status cover under the GOÄ?
The regulation describes it as an examination of the skin, the visible mucous membranes, the chest and abdominal organs, the musculoskeletal system, and an orienting neurological examination.
Why is number 8 excluded alongside number 800?
Because the orienting neurological examination is already part of the whole-body examination status. The general provision for number 8 names number 800 explicitly among the services it may not be billed alongside.
What does number 8 cost?
260 points give 15,15 € at the base rate, 34,86 € at 2.3× and 53,04 € at 3.5×.