- Legal Basis
- Überblick
- Sentencing Range
- Overview
- Summary
- Overview of professional, disciplinary and contract-physician proceedings against doctors.
Professional and Disciplinary Law for Doctors – Overview
Doctors face a particular variety of proceedings: alongside the criminal case there are professional-court proceedings before the medical chamber, disciplinary proceedings of the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KV), the withdrawal of the licence to treat statutory patients, and the revocation of the medical licence (Approbation). These proceedings interlock, and a single set of facts can trigger them at the same time. We represent members of the healthcare professions nationwide in all of these proceedings and think them through together from the outset.
Why doctors need a special defence
For members of the healthcare professions, far more is at stake than for other groups. A single matter – for example a billing allegation or a breach of professional duties – can simultaneously provoke a criminal, a contract-physician and a professional-law response, and a decision in one affects the others: a criminal conviction can cost the Approbation, a billing allegation the licence. An isolated view is therefore not enough.
The most important types of proceedings
Professional-court proceedings of the chamber (reprimand, fine, professional court); disciplinary proceedings of the KV under Section 81(5) SGB V; withdrawal of the contract-physician licence under Section 95(6) SGB V; revocation or suspension of the Approbation under the Federal Medical Regulation (BÄO); and criminal proceedings for billing fraud and corruption in healthcare (Sections 263, 299a, 299b StGB) with immediate professional-law consequences.
Our approach
We represent doctors, dentists, pharmacists and psychotherapists nationwide – in professional-court and disciplinary proceedings, in licensing and Approbation law, and in criminal proceedings with a healthcare connection. Our aim is to protect liberty and professional livelihood at the same time, through early access to the file, careful observance of deadlines and a strategy coordinated across all proceedings. To illustrate the rules we use the provisions and institutions of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) as an example throughout.
This overview is general in nature and cannot replace advice on the individual case.
Summons or accusation of Ärztliches Berufs- & Disziplinarrecht: Verfahren gegen Ärzte? What matters now
Make no statement to the police at first
As an accused person you are never obliged to comment on the allegation. Anything said to the police can be used against you. Provide statements only through your defense attorney and only after reviewing the case file.
File inspection comes first
A sound defense against the allegation of Ärztliches Berufs- & Disziplinarrecht: Verfahren gegen Ärzte requires knowledge of the investigation file. Only once the available evidence is clear can we decide whether a statement is advisable or whether remaining silent is the better strategy.
Possible discontinuation of proceedings
Not every case ends in a trial. Depending on the evidence and any prior record, the proceedings may be discontinued for lack of sufficient suspicion (§ 170 II StPO), for triviality (§ 153 StPO) or subject to conditions (§ 153a StPO). Often a penalty order without a public trial can be achieved.
Victim-offender mediation and restitution
In many cases, victim-offender mediation or making good the damage (§ 46a StGB) can significantly reduce the sentence or enable a discontinuation. Whether this is advisable in your case is something we assess based on the file.
What we do after reviewing the file
We examine the evidence for reliability and admissibility, look for procedural errors, develop the defense strategy, seek a dismissal of the proceedings through discussions with the public prosecutor’s office and represent you, if necessary, at trial before the Bonn Local Court or Bonn Regional Court.
Available 24/7: +49 228 504 463 36
This information does not replace a review of the individual case. In criminal proceedings, the defense strategy depends substantially on the case file, the specific allegation and the evidence.
What to do now
Act now: Police summons – how to respond, Penalty order – check the deadline
Court: Proceedings at Bonn Local Court
Emergency help: Summons, House search, Detention
Local defense: Criminal defense attorney in Bonn, Cologne, All offences
Why choose BAFTEH Criminal Defense?
- Direct contact with your defense attorney – no intermediaries
- Available around the clock, including nights and weekends
- Fast file inspection and a clear defense strategy
- Focused exclusively on criminal law
- Defense in Bonn, Cologne and the entire region
Written by attorney Philip Bafteh, criminal defense attorney in Bonn. Philip Bafteh publishes regularly on criminal and commercial law and defends accused persons in investigative and trial proceedings.
More about the attorney →Last updated: July 2026
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Have you received a summons or are you under investigation? Call us – the initial assessment by phone is free for up to 10 minutes.
+49 228 504 463 36