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Statistical presentation

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Welfare and Health, Social Statistics
Jonas Kirchheiner-Rasmussen ras@dst.dk +45 39 17 34 93
+45 39 17 34 93

ras@dst.dk

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Health Insurance Statistics

The statistics cover visits to the general practitioners and therapists in the primary national health service. The statistics include the number of contacts, the associated costs and the number of recipients. The statistics have been affected by COVID-19 in the sense that there have been far more contacts with general practitioners, especially e-consultation, which covers, for example, test results on COVID-19 tests. In addition, there is a decline in physiotherapy, which is also thought to be related to COVID-19.

Data description

The statistics compile the number of recipients and services and the costs incurred in connection with these in the public health insurance system within one calendar year. The statistics include the services, e.g. consultations with general practitioners or medical specialists, dental care, treatments by physiotherapists or chiropractors etc. which are settled via the joint municipal system, which means that a part of the total costs of the public health insurance is not included in the statistics (such as drug reimbursement, travellers' health insurance etc.).

Classification system

In connection with publications, the following classifications of Visits to physicians etc. are applied:

  • Medical speciality/nature of the service, aggregate (code for type of physician, and breakdown of consultations with GP) with 21-grouping
  • Medical speciality/nature of the service (more detailed breakdown by medical specialists etc.) with 47-grouping

The applied grouping of medical speciality/nature of the service can be retrieved from tariff folders at http://www.okportal.dk Furthermore, other classifications from other sets of statistics are applied:

  • Socio-economic status (self-employed persons; assisting spouses; chief executives; high-level employees; mid-level employees; ground-level employees; other employees; unemployed persons; students; retired persons and persons receiving early retirement benefit; persons outside the labour force; not stated). Note that socio-economic status was revised in the Register-based Labour Force Statistics released in May 2015, where a prioritisation has resulted in more students and fewer children. In Visits to physicians etc. 2014, the statistics broken down by socio-economic grouping are recalculated for 2009-2013.

  • Income level (1st quartile; 2nd quartile; 3rd quartile; 4th quartile). Note: new version of The Income Register in the spring of 2015. In Visits to physicians etc. 2014, the statistics broken down by socio-economic grouping are recalculated for 2011-2013.

  • Family type (singles without children in the home; singles with children in the home; couples without children in the home; couples with children in the home)

  • Ancestry (persons of Danish origin; immigrants; descendants)

  • Geography (municipalities; provinces; regions)

Sector coverage

Primary health care sector in Denmark.

Statistical concepts and definitions

Contact: Contact is a visit to the physician, which includes consultations at a clinical practice, telephone and e-mail consultations and house calls. A visit to the physician involves one contact, but may also involve an extended number of individual services.

Person with contact: Person who has been in contact with/visited a physician

Public health insurance expenses: Expenditures in connection with the services received by persons with contacts/visits to physicians via the public health insurance.

Statistical unit

  • Number of persons with contact/visits to physicians etc.
  • Number of contacts/visits to physicians
  • Public expenditures in DKK 1,000 of services
  • Contacts per person
  • Share (of the population) with contact

Statistical population

Contacts (visits to physicians etc. - including telephone and e-communication) in the primary public health service.

Reference area

Denmark.

Time coverage

The statistics cover the time period from 2006 and forward.

Base period

Not relevant for these statistics.

Unit of measure

  • Number (contacts, persons)
  • DKK 1,000 (expenditures)
  • Contacts per person
  • Share with contact

Reference period

The reference time is the calendar year in which the service (the contact and expenditure) took place.

Frequency of dissemination

Yearly.

Legal acts and other agreements

There is no EU regulation concerning the statistics on visits to physicians etc.

Cost and burden

There is no response burden as the data are collected via the joint-municipal register for public health insurance.

Comment

Visits to Physicians.