Care after hospital discharge in Berlin

After a discharge, care has to carry on without a gap. We can take over at short notice from the discharge day: wound care, giving medication, help with everyday tasks. Hospitals and social services report discharges on 030 64828209 — we answer the same working day.

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The discharge date is often fixed only a few days beforehand. That is exactly when everything has to be ready at home: the dressing, the new medication, the help getting up. We build the round planning around that day and start as soon as the patient is back in their own flat. In the first days after a hospital stay we come more often, because a great deal still changes after an operation. Once things are stable, we reduce the visits together with the GP practice.

For social services and discharge management (Entlassmanagement) we keep the route short. Tell us the discharge date, the postcode, the services needed and how often — by phone on 030 64828209 or by email to info@sonnenstrahlen-pflege.de. We check whether the address lies in our west or north area and answer the same working day with a clear yes or no. After that we agree materials, the Verordnung (prescription) and the first appointment time with the ward. Sonnenstrahlen Pflege UG (haftungsbeschränkt) may bill for both: care benefits in kind, for which a supply contract under SGB XI is in place, and medically prescribed services under SGB V.

Relatives are under pressure after a discharge: appointments, forms, nights at the bedside. We take part of that off you. Alongside the care itself, we sort out the applications that are due now — the Pflegegrad (care level) with the Pflegekasse (long-term care insurance fund), and Verhinderungspflege (substitute care) for the times when you cannot be there. With aids and equipment, two separate routes lead to the goal: a rolling walker is prescribed by the doctor's practice and handled through the Krankenkasse (health insurer), where the co-payment under § 61 SGB V applies. A care bed, by contrast, runs — where a Pflegegrad has been recognised — as a care aid under § 40 SGB XI through an application to the Pflegekasse; you do not need the doctor's practice for that. It is not free of charge in every case, though: the Pflegekasse provides technical care aids primarily on loan, and if a device is transferred into ownership instead, adults contribute ten per cent of the cost, at most 25 euros per aid (§ 40 Abs. 3 SGB XI). What we cannot provide, we say openly.

What we take on straight after the discharge

Start on the discharge day

We take over from the day of discharge; the first visit is agreed with the ward and the social services team.

Wound care after the operation

Dressing changes to the hospital's instructions, checking the suture, reporting back to the practice providing the follow-up treatment.

Medication to the discharge plan

We prepare the new medication, give injections and reconcile the discharge letter with the GP practice.

Applications and equipment

Pflegegrad (care level), Verhinderungspflege (substitute care), care bed, rolling walker: we sort the forms, tell you in advance where a personal contribution falls due, and keep an eye on the deadlines.

Localities where we take on the follow-on care

We cover the west and north of Berlin. Hospitals report discharges into these localities to us directly; the final confirmation depends on the postcode of the home address, not on the name of the locality. Charlottenburg, Westend and Charlottenburg-Nord are three separate localities, each with its own postcodes. And from Wedding only 13353 is included — a discharge into the other Wedding postcodes is one we would have to decline.

  • Moabit
  • Hansaviertel and Tiergarten
  • Wedding (13353 only)
  • Charlottenburg
  • Charlottenburg-Nord
  • Westend
  • Siemensstadt and Spandau
  • Wilmersdorf and Halensee
  • Schmargendorf
  • Grunewald
  • Dahlem
  • Schöneberg and Friedenau

Postcodes: 10551, 10553, 10555, 10557, 10559, 10585, 10587, 10589, 10623, 10625, 10627, 10629, 10707, 10709, 10711, 10713, 10717, 10719, 10777, 10779, 10787, 10789, 10825, 12159, 12161, 13353, 13597, 13599, 13627, 13629, 14050, 14052, 14053, 14055, 14057, 14059, 14193, 14195, 14197, 14199

Who pays after the discharge

Medical care after the discharge is paid for by the Krankenkasse (health insurer). If the hospital prescribes under discharge management in accordance with § 39 Abs. 1a SGB V, that paper covers seven days at most; after that the GP practice takes over with a Verordnung (prescription) under § 37 SGB V. We get either of them to your insurer within three working days of the date of issue — and the insurer then covers the visits retrospectively from that date, including the assessment time up to the approval decision; that is what § 6 Abs. 6 of the HKP-Richtlinie (home nursing directive) says. So the start is governed by the discharge day, not by the post from the insurer. For adults a personal contribution remains, laid down by § 61 SGB V — how high it is, is set out in the questions further down. We take an exemption notice (Befreiungsbescheid) into account as soon as we have it.

Personal hygiene, companionship and housekeeping, by contrast, run through the long-term care insurance under SGB XI. The monthly benefit-in-kind amount under § 36 SGB XI starts at Pflegegrad (care level) 2; with Pflegegrad 1 the Entlastungsbetrag (relief amount) under § 45b SGB XI applies instead. If no care level has been recognised yet, we get the application under way with you; the Pflegekasse pays from the month in which the application is made. Whatever statutory insurance covers, we bill directly with the health and long-term care insurance funds. With private health insurance your policy decides: you receive a list of the visits carried out from us and submit it there together with the discharge letter and the Verordnung (prescription) — how much comes back is set out in your policy terms. The visit at which we sort all of this out costs you nothing.

From the hospital's call to the first visit

  1. The call from the hospital: Social services, relatives or the patient herself give us the discharge date, the address and the prescribed services. We check the postcode and answer the same working day.
  2. Confirmation and prescription: We say yes or no. Under discharge management the hospital issues the Verordnung (prescription); it is valid for seven days at most and bridges the time until the practice takes over. The form goes to the insurer within three working days, and the day of issue itself is already covered.
  3. A visit before the discharge day: If possible while the patient is still in hospital, we look at the flat and settle times, materials, access and contacts. This appointment is free of charge.
  4. Moving into ongoing care: The GP practice issues the follow-up Verordnung (prescription) under § 37 SGB V. We submit it to the insurer and remind the practice before the period runs out.

Questions about follow-up care

Who pays for the care after the hospital stay?

Prescribed Behandlungspflege (medical home nursing) is borne by your Krankenkasse (health insurer), and billed between them and us. The entitlement starts on the day the Verordnung (prescription) is issued, provided the form reaches the insurer in time; waiting for an approval letter would be time lost. Adults contribute ten per cent of the cost of a treatment day, for at most 28 days in a calendar year, plus a one-off amount of ten euros per prescription issued. With an exemption notice both fall away. Everything that runs through the Pflegegrad (care level) is paid by the Pflegekasse (long-term care insurance fund) — from care level 2 out of the benefit-in-kind amount, at care level 1 out of the Entlastungsbetrag (relief amount).

Is the hospital allowed to prescribe home nursing itself?

Yes. As part of discharge management the hospital may prescribe häusliche Krankenpflege (home nursing) for seven days at most (§ 39 Abs. 1a SGB V). That bridges the time until the GP practice issues a further prescription under § 37 SGB V. We give a reminder in good time so that no gap opens up between the two papers.

The discharge day is fixed — can you still manage the first visit the same day?

As a rule yes, provided the call does not come only on the morning of the discharge. Let us know as soon as the date is settled: we check the address, sort out what is needed with the ward and put the visit into the round. A reply from the insurer is not a precondition for that; the prescription as issued is enough. We do have places free at the moment. Without arranged access to the flat, though — a key, relatives or a key safe — it will not work.

What if there is no Pflegegrad (care level) yet?

Whether a Pflegegrad (care level) is in place makes no difference to prescribed Behandlungspflege (medical home nursing): dressing changes, injections and giving medication are possible straight away. For personal hygiene and housekeeping it very much does count: care benefits in kind under § 36 SGB XI require Pflegegrad 2, and at Pflegegrad 1 the Entlastungsbetrag (relief amount) under § 45b SGB XI takes their place. There is an exception, though: where care at home prevents or shortens a hospital stay, the Krankenkasse (health insurer) can under § 37 Abs. 1 SGB V also cover Grundpflege (basic personal care) and housekeeping for a limited period, usually up to four weeks per case of illness. If the care level is missing, we fill in the application together and tell you what matters in the assessment.

How does discharge management reach you, and which area do you cover?

Social services and wards dial 030 64828209 or write to info@sonnenstrahlen-pflege.de. We drive the west and north of Berlin; which localities those are is set out in the list above. From Wedding we take on addresses with 13353 only. Whether an address belongs to our area is decided by the postcode — give it to us on the phone and the question is settled in a minute. We have three addresses: the main office at Sickingenstr. 52 (Moabit), Heilbronner Str. 1 (Halensee) and Theodor-Heuss-Platz 1 (Westend).

In which language can we discuss the discharge letter and the prescription?

In German, English and Russian. If you wish, we will go through what the discharge letter says sentence by sentence with you, and the same for the Verordnung (prescription) and the post from the insurers. When planning the rounds we try to schedule a suitable language; we cannot promise it for every single round, though.

A discharge coming up? Get in touch early

Call us: 030 64828209. In writing, use info@sonnenstrahlen-pflege.de — with the discharge date, the postcode and the prescribed services. Social services and discharge management get a binding yes or no the same working day. For relatives, the visit to the home is free of charge.

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What you can rely on

  • Licensed care provider: Care provision contract under § 72 SGB XI and approval for home nursing care under § 37 SGB V; listed in the Berlin state register of care providers.
  • Billed directly with your insurer: with all statutory health and nursing care insurers; privately insured clients receive an invoice for their insurer.
  • Accepting new patients: we respond the same working day.
  • We work with hospitals: we take over directly from hospital discharge management, coordinated with clinic, GP practice and insurer.
  • Three offices in Berlin: Sickingenstr. 52 (Moabit), Heilbronner Str. 1 (Halensee), Theodor-Heuss-Platz 1 (Westend).
  • German · English · Russian: care and consultation in your language.

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