Vienna plans to expand outpatient bookings via 1450

Vienna plans to expand its system for booking outpatient clinic appointments through the 1450 health hotline, ORF reported. Since July 2025, the service has arranged more than 50,000 initial appointments in clinics run by the Vienna Health Association.

The association said 52,269 initial appointments had been booked through 1450 by Monday. This year, the service has handled nearly 4,000 bookings a month on average, with numbers rising. At Donaustadt Clinic, about 43 percent of appointments are currently booked through the hotline.

Patients need a medical referral to arrange an appointment. Hotline staff use the diagnosis to book a slot at a suitable outpatient clinic, saving patients from having to identify the right clinic and contact several facilities.

Appointment details are sent by text message or email. Bookings can be made on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Since May, patients have also been able to request a callback online.

The Vienna Health Association plans to extend the system gradually to follow-up and check-up appointments. It also wants to increase the number of participating outpatient clinics. Appointments can currently be booked through 1450 at around 225 clinics.

The system reduces the effort required from patients and improves their guidance, while giving the health association better planning and more efficient processes, said Michael Binder, the association’s medical director.