Reference · MeinDienstarzt · 26 Sep 2026
References
MeinDienstarzt

Handing over on-call dutywithout the phone chain

MeinDienstarzt connects office-based doctors in Germany who cannot cover an out-of-hours shift with vetted deputies. This case study explains the problem it solves, where automation and AI save users work, and what other businesses can take from it.

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Reference · MeinDienstarzt

MeinDienstarzt is a platform where office-based doctors in Germany post open out-of-hours shifts of the Associations of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KV) for free and find vetted deputies to cover them. Once both sides agree, the deputy contract is confirmed digitally; according to the provider, a service fee is charged only after a successful match. The platform is live across all 17 KV regions, and Scalableloops supports the project with its AI implementation.

In brief
  • Practices post house-call, clinic, combined and background shifts; deputies search by region and shift type.
  • Suitable deputies are notified automatically, and the contract is confirmed digitally once both sides agree.
  • Medical care centres (MVZ) get a central overview across sites, and a separate module covers telemedicine.
  • The benefit lies in the process: fewer calls, a clear handover, traceable contracts.
Published 26 Sep 2026Nikolai Schöbel and Jeremias Burger7 min read
Nikolai SchöbelJeremias Burger

Nikolai Schöbel and Jeremias Burger

Co-founders of Scalableloops GmbH. Nikolai Schöbel leads online marketing and AI strategy, Jeremias Burger the AI architecture. Both build AI systems and train teams on them in their own agency work.

On this page
  1. Why is it so hard to hand over an out-of-hours shift?
  2. What MeinDienstarzt handles for practices and deputies
  3. Where AI and automation take work off users’ hands
  4. Which rules apply to out-of-hours cover in Germany?
  5. What other businesses can learn from this project
  6. How does the platform fit into a practice’s work?
  7. Frequently asked questions
  8. How to check whether a similar process fits your business
  9. Where the information on this page comes from
Starting point

Why is it so hard to hand over an out-of-hours shift?

In Germany, the regional Associations of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians must ensure outpatient care outside surgery hours as well; Section 75(1b) of Book V of the Social Code (SGB V) sets this out. There are 17 such associations, and patients reach the out-of-hours medical service nationwide on 116117. Much of this service is delivered by office-based doctors themselves, under the duty rules of their association.

Anyone who cannot make an assigned evening needs a deputy. In many practices that is where the problem described by the platform begins: chains of phone calls, one-off requests to colleagues and uncertainty about how to hand over the shift on a sound legal footing.

That uncertainty has a specific cause. On 24 October 2023, Germany's Federal Social Court ruled (case B 12 R 9/21 R) that a dentist working as a so-called pool doctor in the statutory dental emergency service was, in that case, an employee and therefore liable for social security contributions. MeinDienstarzt writes in its guide that several associations then suspended their pool doctor models, while personal deputising, where the assigned doctor engages the deputy directly, remained unaffected.

Solution

What MeinDienstarzt handles for practices and deputies

The platform has two sides. Practices that want to hand over a shift enter it with date, region and shift type. Doctors who want to take on shifts create a profile with their qualifications and search by region and shift type. According to the provider, only doctors licensed to practise in Germany are placed.

The process has three steps: post the shift, receive offers from vetted deputies, hand over safely. Once both sides agree, the deputy contract is confirmed digitally. The provider states that its contracts have been legally reviewed, and a shift swap form for the relevant association is generated automatically.

Medical care centres have their own area. There, a centre coordinates duties across several sites and specialties in one overview and sees open shifts at a glance. When someone drops out, the system gives preference to deputies who already know the centre and were rated positively.

Shift typeWhat it involves
House-call shiftVisits to patients, usually evenings and weekends
Clinic shiftA fixed place in the out-of-hours practice with plannable hours
Combined shiftClinic and driving duty combined
Background shiftOn-call by phone, often fully remote
AI at work

Where AI and automation take work off users’ hands

For a practice, what matters is not the technology behind it but how many steps lie between “I can’t make it” and “the shift is covered”. The platform targets exactly those steps:

Notify instead of phoning. As soon as a shift is posted, suitable deputies are informed automatically. The practice does not have to call anyone individually.

Suggest instead of searching. In the care centre area, the platform matches open shifts with suitable doctors and proposes them. The centre picks one or lets the system book automatically.

Document instead of typing. The telemedicine module that MeinDienstarzt offers with JourF'x captures medical content automatically and structures documentation with AI support.

People make the call: the doctors involved decide who covers the shift. We recommend this split for any use of AI in healthcare: the system sorts and prepares, the doctor decides and carries the responsibility.

Law

Which rules apply to out-of-hours cover in Germany?

Deputising for an out-of-hours shift touches three areas of law: the rules of the physicians’ association, social security law and data protection.

MeinDienstarzt sums up the principle behind its contracts like this: the client is not the association but the office-based doctor. With personal deputising, the shift stays assigned to that doctor, who engages the deputy and must be satisfied that the deputy is suitable. The detailed requirements are set by the duty rules of each association, which is also the right place to ask in case of doubt.

Once patient data is involved, for example in telemedicine and documentation, it is health data under Article 9 GDPR. Processing it is prohibited in principle and allowed only under one of the exceptions listed there, such as for the purposes of healthcare. MeinDienstarzt states that it transmits data encrypted and stores it only in Germany.

The EU AI Act applies to the AI part as well. Article 4 has applied since 2 February 2025 and, since 27 July 2026, in the version amended by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744: organisations have to take measures that support the development of AI literacy, but do not have to guarantee a specific level of competence for any individual. What that means in practice is explained in our article on the AI literacy obligation under Article 4.

Transferable

What other businesses can learn from this project

The pattern behind MeinDienstarzt appears in many sectors: a recurring task in which two sides have to find each other and which still runs on phone calls and individual requests. Shift swaps in nursing, cover in the trades and staff planning in hospitality follow the same scheme.

Three things make such projects work. First, the value starts with the process, not with AI: automation pays off only once it is clear who needs what and when. Second, the legal side belongs inside the process, as a reviewed contract and a form generated automatically. Third, a person keeps the decision; the system only prepares it.

  1. 01

    Define the process

    First

    Who posts, who takes over, when is the job done? Without that clarity, AI only automates the confusion.

  2. 02

    Build in the law

    Then

    Contracts, forms and records are created inside the process, not afterwards by email.

  3. 03

    Let the system prepare

    Next

    Notifying, matching and documenting are handled by the system.

  4. 04

    Keep the approval

    Always

    A person who carries the responsibility makes the decision.

Context

How does the platform fit into a practice’s work?

For a medical practice, shift placement is one of several areas where AI can take on admin work. Which tasks those are, where the limits lie and what confidentiality and data protection require is covered in our guide Use AI for the medical practice.

A related healthcare reference is the AI voice assistant for medical practices, which is currently being piloted.

Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions

What does MeinDienstarzt cost the practice handing over a shift?

According to the provider, registering and posting shifts is free for practices. A service fee is charged only once a deputy has been placed successfully. Current terms are listed on the provider’s website.

Which shifts can be placed?

House-call shifts, clinic shifts in the out-of-hours practice, combined clinic and driving shifts, and background shifts with phone on-call. A module for telemedicine consultations is also available.

Which regions does the platform cover?

According to the provider, all 17 association regions across Germany.

Does the platform replace coordination with the association?

No. The requirements a deputy must meet and how a shift swap is reported are set by the duty rules of each association. The platform generates the swap form; the association’s rules still apply.

Who decides which deputy takes the shift?

The doctors involved. The system notifies and suggests; both sides give their agreement themselves.

What is Scalableloops’ role?

Scalableloops supports the project with its AI implementation. The platform is operated by MeinDienstarzt.

Next steps

How to check whether a similar process fits your business

  1. 01

    Name the bottleneck

    Write down which recurring task in your business still runs on phone calls and individual requests.

  2. 02

    Map the process

    Record who is involved, what information flows and when the task counts as done.

  3. 03

    Clarify the law

    Work out which contracts, forms and data protection rules the process needs before anything is automated.

  4. 04

    Plan the rollout

    Decide which steps a system can prepare and where a person decides. We can help with an AI agent system built for your business or AI training for your team.

MeinDienstarzt shows that AI in healthcare achieves most where it speeds up a clear process and leaves the decision with the doctor. Most of the work lies in a clean process with the legal requirements built into it.

or call: +49 151 1576 5566

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