With health insurance you can visit most doctors in Austria and be sure of getting treatment in the case illness or accidents. On the presentation of your insurance voucher, you can be sure that you will receive the proper treatment.
It is always recommended to make an appointment ( Termin) as waiting times can be long. If you need urgent help, you go without an appointment during office hours, but expect to wait. Otherwise you may have to wait several days or even weeks, especially to consult a dentist or specialist. Even with an appointment, you will find you probably have to spend some time waiting. Normal surgery hours and appointment times can differ considerably but are usually every morning, but not every afternoon. Few surgeries open on Saturdays and on Sunday. During holiday times most doctors have a locum in to cover for them.
To see a doctor you need to have a health insurance voucher ( Krankenschein). Vouchers are issued by your health insurance fund. There are different vouchers for general physicians, specialists or dentists. There is a cost of about €3.63 per voucher to be paid by the insured person. In some Austrian districts the number of vouchers per calendar quarter is limited. There are exemptions from the person voucher fee or drug prescription fees, e.g. for children or exempt persons. Holiday health vouchers, as well as exchanged, corrected or unused vouchers are not charged for. When you are looking for a doctor be aware that only those having contracts with the insurance fund are free to visit. Note that some doctors only treat privately insured clients. If you have state insurance, make sure you check this when making an appointment. Doctors who accept state payments generally display a sign Kassenarzt or Alle Kassen in their surgery. If you're treated by anyone other than a Kassenarzt, you will not be reimbursed by the state insurance scheme.
In case of an emergency, don’t worry about insurance issues and just head directly to the nearest emergency room. Under Austrian law, any health organization, public or private, is required to treat patients in an emergency situation regardless of their insurance status. However, they might want to charge you for their services afterwards, so don’t think you get everything for free.