Comparability

Comparability - geographical

For comparable international data, we recommend that you look at data from Eurostat and the OECD, which make comparable data collections and publish data (e.g. OECD´s publication Health at a Glance) that is comparable to a certain extent in this field. There are a number of organisational and institutional conditions that we must keep in mind when analysing any differences.

Comparability over time

Since an increasing number of service providers have joined the system through the years, you should exercise caution when comparing over time.

In 2025, a review was carried out of the services and the definition of contacts for the period 2021 to 2024. This review has had varying degrees of impact on the number in the tables and the number of contacts recorded in the registers – but for some specialties, it resulted in a relatively significant change.

In 2022, the statistical production was changed, including a modification where corrections that cannot be associated with a registration in the respective fiscal year are deleted.

In 2021 is characterized by a new data supplier on Consultations of physicians and discontinued from some of the contact types cf. the revised types of benefits catalog from 2019. The biggest change is that types of benefits Diagn. radiologi Kbh. is deleted and added here Diagnost. Radiologi.

In 2021, groups of young people who can receive free psychological assistance if referred for anxiety or depression were expanded to include those aged 22-24.

In October 2019, a new agreement for psychologists in cancer care came into effect. This has meant the introduction of new services, while others have been discontinued. In addition, it was decided (for state fund grants) to make the existing scheme for persons with anxiety aged between 29 and 38 years and persons with depression over 37 years permanent. At the same time, the age limit for anxiety was removed, so that everyone over 18 can be treated for anxiety if referred by their physician. Finally, it was also agreed to extend the existing free trial scheme for anxiety and depression to include 21-year-olds.

In April and May 2019, a modernization of the ear, nose and throat specialty as well as laboratory services was implemented. This led to a revision of the service catalog, resulting in the introduction of new services and phasing out of others.

In July 2018, young people between 18-20 years have been able to receive free psychological help if referred for anxiety or depression under the psychologist scheme.

In January 2018, a larger fee for home visits by physicians was introduced under the collective agreement. This has led to a large increase in these contacts.

In 2018, a differentiated basic fee and a chronic care fee for general practitioners were introduced. Both are currently paid manually, so they cannot be seen in the health insurance register. The chronic care fee implies that services covered by the chronic care fee are not registered separately. This means that in the count of consultations, only consultations for persons not covered by the chronic care fee are counted. There is therefore a shadow figure that is unknown.

In 2017, a smaller decline was seen in contacts and expenses for psychologists, caused by exceeding the financial framework in 2015 and 2016, which led psychologists to repay part of their subsidies. This may have caused particular caution in 2017.

In 2017, expenses to the State Serum Institute (SSI) fell by 85 percent due to the state’s divestment of SSI’s vaccine production and SSI Diagnostica per 1 October 2016 and 16 January 2017.

In 2017, specialty 64 - Chiropractic (chronic patients) saw a large 50 percent drop in contacts and a 20 percent decrease in expenses. This is attributed to the new collective agreement effective 1 April 2017, which involved changes in services, subsidies, care packages, as well as quality accreditation and systematic continuing education of chiropractors.

In 2017, a decline in contacts to internal medicine and pediatrics was observed, due to a revision of the service catalog within the allergy area. For example, skin prick tests – which previously were recorded as one service per prick – now count as one service (contact) for the entire test (typically 15-20 pricks). This modernization process will continue in other specialties in the future.

In 2016, services within gynecology/obstetrics related to fertility and abortion were discontinued. This led to approximately 73,000 fewer recorded contacts in 2016.

In 2016, child psychiatry saw an increase in expenses partly attributable to the assistance package introduced in 2015. Furthermore, practicing psychiatrists were obliged to treat 10 percent more patients in 2015.

As of 1 January 2016, all blood sample analyses from general practitioners were transferred from "Copenhagen General Practitioners’ Laboratory" to the region's hospitals, leading to the exclusion of these expenses.

In December 2017, a revision of psychologist data for 2011 was made due to repeated inquiries. The revision involved certain service codes (0211 and 0311) from 2011 which were only included as contacts from 2012, causing an underestimation for 2011. These contacts are now included for 2011. This revision resulted in roughly 90,000 (25 percent) more psychologist contacts than before. Furthermore, this revision caused shifts in socio-economic groups in all tables, due to changes in socio-economic status related to the revision of the Register-based Labour Force Statistics (RAS).

In 2013, the number of dental contacts dropped by 22 percent as the scope was narrowed, limiting future subsidies to tooth cleaning only, while subsidies for check-ups on diagnostic findings were discontinued.

In 2013, Statistics Denmark was informed by CSC Scandihealth that minor inaccuracies were found in the submitted data for October, November, and December 2013, as corrections in the Central Denmark Region were calculated with incorrect signs.

In 2014, socio-economic groups (soc_stil to soc_status) were revised in the Register-based Labour Force Statistics, and the period 2009-2013 was recalculated, resulting in a break in socio-economic grouping between 2008 and 2009.

In 2014, the income register was revised, and the period 2011-2013 was recalculated, but with no significant impact on the distribution by income quartiles.

In 2011, a large increase was seen in contacts to chiropodists after a prolonged conflict was resolved with a collective agreement on 1 June 2011. (For a long time, it was not possible to calculate contacts to chiropodists due to difficulties distinguishing contacts from other services and the absence of a collective agreement from June 2005 to June 2011. During this time, most fees were settled outside the public health insurance system and thus excluded from statistics.)

In 2011, a large decline occurred in general practitioner prevention services, due to the discontinuation of service code "0106 Aftalt forebyggelseskonsultation" and stricter requirements for the new code "0120 Aftalt specifik forebyggende indsats."

In 2011, the number of psychologist contacts was underestimated by about 20,000 because specific services not included in the tariff folder should have been counted as contacts; this was corrected only from 2012.

In 2012, additional service codes for psychologists, not explicitly mentioned in the tariff folder, were included. Since these codes were not included in previous years, the increase from 2011 to 2012 is somewhat overstated.

In 2012, due to a pilot project on Bornholm, the number of general practitioner contacts was underestimated by about 112,000. Interpreter assistance is included in the 2012 tariff folder but does not affect the number of contacts. After careful review, interpreter expenses for 2012 were excluded.

In 2009, a large decline in dental contacts was observed, which was not real but due to the exclusion of two preventive treatment services ('502920', '502930') following the Danish Dental Association's recommendation. This affects the apparent development in dental contacts from 2008 to 2009 by about 500,000.

From 2006, the register includes an imputed amount for general practitioners’ basic fees, distributed proportionally among service recipients based on gross fees.

For dental visits, only the first visit (including examination) is registered as a contact; subsequent visits within the same treatment episode are not counted.

Physiotherapy is often provided as group training where one physiotherapist trains multiple patients simultaneously; each patient's training counts as a contact. For riding physiotherapy, contact calculations are uncertain for the same reasons.

From 2006, a revision in the calculation of contacts was implemented.

The number of contacts statistics can be problematic when comparing over time because several methods have been used to delimit which services count as contacts. This has caused some data breaks, especially between years before 2005 and from 2006 onwards.

Originally, agreements were typically held by physicians with the former counties. Over time, new service providers such as psychologists and physiotherapists have entered agreements and are now included in the statistics.

For the years 1984, 1985 and 1986, the register relied on a 10 percent sample containing services for persons born on day 14, 15 or 16 of a month. From 1987 onwards, the register includes all services and persons covered by agreements between the regions and organisations representing the various service providers.

Coherence - cross domain

Total health expenditure appears from the regional accounts, table REGR31 in Statbank Denmark. The total amount for the health insurance reimbursements appears from the regional accounts. The Danish Health Authority published statistics on the population’s use of the public health insurance. Both of these assessments are exclusive of the background information that exists in the Health Insurance Register of Statistics Denmark.

Coherence - internal

Data are internally consistent.