PTV 11 Urgency Code

A 12-digit code often determines how quickly things move forward after the session. The so-called PTV 11 contains this code, which is issued at the end of the psychotherapy session.

All medical practices have the PTV form on hand; you don't need to bring anything with you. If your practice indicates on the form that treatment is needed promptly, the code will trigger the preferred process through the appointment service center.

Without this information, the field remains blank, and there are several good reasons for that. Those who are familiar with the few fields on it won't waste any time when it counts.

The code is the signal for priority scheduling: it lets the appointment scheduling office know that it’s urgent. Without it, your request will follow the usual process, with waiting lists and repeated phone calls.

Anyone who has been waiting for an appointment for a while knows the feeling of being put off again and again. By the way, the appointment service also helps you find the clinic itself—you don’t even need a code for that.

What’s important here is what it can’t do. The North Rhine Association of Panel Physicians makes it clear to its insured members: It does not arrange therapy slots, but rather counseling appointments. Whether this leads to short-term or long-term therapy is decided on-site.

For more information about the entire form, see the Form Overview.

Urgency code: a code with two names

Both terms refer to the same code. Depending on whether you're speaking with the appointment scheduling office or your health insurance provider, you'll sometimes hear one version and sometimes the other.

It's not the words that matter, but the twelve digits themselves. If in doubt, ask specifically for this code; this will prevent misunderstandings over the phone.

"Urgent" is not the same as "acute"

"Urgent" means that treatment is considered necessary as soon as possible after the consultation. This is your therapist's assessment.

"Acute" means something else. Acute psychotherapeutic treatment is a separate approach for severe, acute distress; it can begin immediately after the office hours if a spot is available.

This should be distinguished from an acute case reported by calling 116117: Callers to that number are assessed according to a set procedure, which may determine that care is needed no later than the following day. Although both are described as „acute,“ they refer to two different situations.

What the urgency code looks like

The code consists of twelve characters made up of letters and numbers. It is generated electronically, not written by hand.

Starting in October 2025, all providers of practice management software must offer this feature; those who do not use it will continue to print the code via the 116117 web application and affix it to the form (For more information, contact the KBV).

It's on the form you'll receive after your appointment.

Many patients initially look for him in the wrong place—for example, on a referral to a specialist. This is understandable, because with other specialties, the process does indeed involve a referral—just not in this case.

Psychotherapy Appointments

The psychotherapy consultation is a mandatory step before treatment begins. As a general rule, no other activities—including trial sessions—may begin until at least 50 minutes of this consultation have elapsed. This may consist of one 50-minute session or two sessions of 25 minutes each.

There are exceptions, and they are narrowly defined. Anyone discharged from a hospital or a rehabilitation facility due to a mental illness does not need the form or a code; the 116117 hotline will then refer them directly. The same applies when switching providers during ongoing therapy.

At the end, your therapist will note whether further treatment is necessary and how urgent it is. The form also includes a preliminary assessment and recommendations for next steps, written in language that patients can understand.

The KBV's guidance on filling out the form even explicitly requires that the recommendations be explained verbally and that you know what your next step is by the end. So feel free to ask questions.

In addition to this form, you will come across a second form later on, the Consultation Report, usually just before the actual application.

Some, such as the KV Bayern, also refer to the consultation itself as Initial psychotherapy consultation, which refers to the same conversation.

What if the code is supposed to be on a money transfer form?

This does not apply to treatment with your psychotherapist. Other medical specialties, such as dermatologists or orthopedists, require a referral with a 12-digit code.

The KBV lists the exceptions for which no referral is required at all: family physicians, pediatricians, ophthalmologists, and gynecologists, as well as the initial psychotherapy consultation—that is, the initial appointment.

However, this exception is more limited than it sounds: You can see a psychotherapist during office hours without a code, but for anything beyond that, 116117 requires the completed form. Anyone looking for a referral in that context is looking in the wrong place.

No code on the sheet?

This is often not a mistake at all, and above all, it does not mean that your matter is not urgent. Here are three reasons why this is the case.

First: Treatment was not deemed to be needed immediately. An urgency code is not required, so the field is left blank, as it should be.

Second: The treatment takes place at the location where you were just. Then the form will list a specific follow-up appointment instead of a code.

Third: Your therapist has arranged for your continued treatment directly with a colleague or is referring you to a counseling center. The free-text field is also there for this purpose.

That leaves the fourth case: A referral is checked, but there is no code listed. In that case, call them and have them add it. Ask specifically whether the referral is supposed to go through 116117, whether „urgent“ is indicated, and whether the code was simply not printed on the form.

Many people are familiar with the 116117 appointment scheduling service only in the context of their family doctor, but for psychotherapists, it essentially works the same way.

Online via the 116117 Appointment Service

Call 116117, enter the code, and view available appointments. If the search doesn't show any results, don't give up yet: Give us a call as well.

If you haven't found anyone yet, you can also sign up at the Search for a psychotherapist get help.

By phone and via the app

You can also reach this same number by phone—for anyone who would rather provide the code over the phone than enter it online. In addition, there is the 116117 app, which provides access to the same service. The KBV lists all three options side by side for patients.

What are the deadlines?

The Appointment Service Office is required to schedule an appointment for you no later than 35 days after your request. This is based on two timeframes: Initial contact must be made within one week, and after that, there must be no more than four additional weeks until the actual appointment. This is how the KV Berlin calculates it.

When it comes to short-term treatment for severe stress, the time limit is shorter: three weeks in total.

You are not entitled to see specific psychotherapists, and a longer commute may be part of the process. In most cases, the whole process leads to trial sessions, which have their own rules.

It is valid indefinitely until you use it.

A time limit does not begin until the code is entered into the appointment service: If an appointment is not scheduled within seven days, the code expires.

However, if the appointment service has already scheduled an appointment for you and you cancel it via 116117, the code remains valid indefinitely. If you cancel twice using the same code, it expires permanently, and the request starts over from the beginning.

In practical terms, this means that if you aren't actively searching yet, you won't enter the code; the timer doesn't start until you actually submit a request.

There is one limitation: These are technical rules of the booking system. A code that the system still accepts does not make an old reservation current again.

Many people don't come to me until the process through their health insurance provider hasn't worked out, and then they want to apply for reimbursement.

At that moment, the form serves as proof: It shows that a consultation took place and that treatment is needed promptly.

You can read more about this trail in the article on the Reimbursement of expenses using this form.

Medical practices receive a bonus for scheduling appointments.

This is an inside perspective that I don't have firsthand experience with: My practice is exclusively for self-pay patients; I have never assigned a code myself, because there is no need to do so in a private practice. The following information comes from official sources.

What medical practices bill for this

On the billing statement, it is listed under fee schedule item 23228; for child and adolescent psychotherapists, it is listed under item 23229.

It is tiered: The sooner the appointment is scheduled, the higher the rate—100 percent within four days, 80 percent within 14 days, and 40 percent within 35 days.

In addition, there is a 200 percent surcharge for acute cases on the following day, and this applies only if you have called 116117 yourself and the assessment there has confirmed the urgency.

The decision to eliminate these surcharges has already been made. The law has been in effect since July 30, 2026, but the surcharges themselves will not be eliminated until January 1, 2027, at the latest. They are still in effect: The KBV continues to list the sliding scale unchanged in its overview.

As a result, there will no longer be a financial incentive to free up a spot quickly. For you as a patient, nothing will change in terms of the process; this only affects the billing behind the scenes.