Statistical presentation

Data description

The statistics compile the number of recipients, contacts, and expenses for treatments covered by the national health insurance over the course of a year. These are assessed with regard to gender, age, residence, origin, education, socioeconomic status, income level, family type, and medical specialty/type of service.

Classification system

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

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

The applied grouping of specialties/service types is based on the divisions in the fee schedules 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 with health care providers under the national health insurance: Includes consultations, telephone and email communications, and home visits. However, other services, such as laboratory tests, as well as additional services provided in connection with a consultation, are not counted as a contact. This can mean that even if a larger number of individual services are billed during a consultation, it will still be recorded as one contact

Person with contact to health care providers under the national health insurance: A person who has had at least one contact with a healthcare provider under the national health insurance.

Public health insurance expenses: Expenses for providers covered by the national health insurance.

Statistical unit

• Number of persons with contact/visits to physicians
• Number of contacts/visits to physicians
• Public expenditures in DKK 1,000
• Contacts per person in the population
• 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 year in which the service has been settled.

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.