Submitting a complete application: documents checklist

As of October 2026 · about 4 minutes to read

An application is often returned not because of its content but because a document is missing, unsigned or inconsistent with the report. This checklist walks through the usual documents in the expert-review procedure and what else to check for private insurance, Beihilfe and cost reimbursement.

Core documents in the expert-review procedure

You form the cipher from the first letter of the family name and the six-digit date of birth. The report must not contain details that directly identify the patient.

Checklist before sending

• Patient's application signed and dated
• Your details complete; diagnosis per ICD-10-GM; requested session volume traceable
• Report written personally, with cipher, without the patient's name
• Report in the sealed envelope; envelope labelled correctly
• Consultation report enclosed or its availability documented
• Sessions: held, approved and requested sessions are free of contradiction
• Copy of the report filed in the treatment documentation
• Submission date and route noted, reminder set

Private health insurance

Private insurers review according to their tariff. Many require cost approval before treatment starts or after a certain number of sessions; some bring in a reviewer. A report modelled on the PTV 3 outline is common; the form itself is not required everywhere.

• Tariff and any session cap asked from the patient
• Cost approval requested before treatment starts or continues
• Insurer's requirements for report and forms clarified
• Patient's consent to transmission on file

Beihilfe

For people entitled to Beihilfe (civil-servant health subsidy), the Beihilfe office decides under federal or state rules. For federal civil servants there is a report form that uses the same outline as the PTV 3 report. Here too: first clarify what the office requires, then submit.

• Responsible Beihilfe office and applicable rule (federal or state) known
• Any required recognition before start or continuation clarified
• Beihilfe form aligned with the content of your report
• Relationship to reimbursement by the private insurer discussed

Cost reimbursement

For patients with statutory insurance who see a private practice without statutory accreditation, cost reimbursement under § 13 (3) SGB V may come into question. The health fund decides on the application. What you can certify in that context is covered in Cost reimbursement: what you can certify.

• Patient's application filed with the health fund, before treatment starts where possible
• Documented attempts to find a treatment place on file with dates
• Your therapeutic statement (your professional details only) enclosed or handed to the patient
• Confidentiality release on file if you transmit to the fund yourself

Typical mistakes

• Patient's signature missing
• Diagnosis in the application differs from the report
• Report contains the real name instead of the cipher
• Outdated consultation report or its result not reflected
• Session figures do not match

How an application folder helps

The Application Copilot keeps a folder per application and shows which documents are present and which are missing, for example a consultation report. It prepares drafts and reminds you of deadlines; you check, sign and send. A free form for checking before you sign is available without registration. To the waitlist.

Frequently asked questions

Must I use the PTV 3 report for privately insured patients?

Not everywhere. Some insurers want a free-form report, others follow the PTV 3 outline. Ask the insurer or the patient beforehand.

Who provides the consultation report?

It comes from a physician and is among the usual documents in the expert-review procedure. It should be current, and you reflect its result in the report. You can combine the request with a letter to the GP.

May I send documents directly to the health fund?

You need the patient's consent or confidentiality release for that. Without it, hand the documents to the patient, who submits them personally.