Specialist health service, private specialists with operating agreements with health enterprises, 2000

Clinical psychologists and psychiatrists have long made up large groups of private-practising health care personnel with operating agreements. The scope of these groups increased particularly in 1998 in connection with the introduction of a rule change for access to refunds from the National Insurance scheme. As a result of this change, which took effect 1 July 1998, private-practising health care personnel without an operating agreement with the county municipality could no longer get social security refunds for their patients. An earmarked subsidy scheme was set up at the same time for county municipalities that signed operating agreements with health personnel who until then had had private practices without an operating agreement. Through this scheme, operating agreements for specialists in psychiatry and clinical psychology were given priority.

As the figure shows, this program produced results in that the share of contracted man-years in psychiatry and clinical psychiatry rose from 34 to 50 per cent from 1997 to 1998. In the course of the last two years this share has remained almost constant.

Best coverage in urban areas

The geographic distribution of these man-years is somewhat uneven. Oslo is the highest with 13.8 contracted man-years per 100 000 inhabitants for psychiatrists and 24.7 man-years for psychologists. The numbers here are also high for Akershus and Hordaland. The fewest contracted man-years for psychiatrists and clinical psychologists per capita are found in Finnmark and Nord Trøndelag.

The other medical specialities also had the most contracted man-years per capita in Oslo, Akershus and Hordaland. Physician coverage in Østfold and Vestfold is also high.

Tables:

• Table 1 Number of agreements between specialized physicians and county municipalities about subsidy to private practice, by speciality. 1998-2000
• Table 2 Number of contracts with specialized physicians and clinical psychologists about subsidy to private practice, by county. 1998-2000
• Table 3 Number of contracted man-years between specialized physicians and county municipalities about subsidy to private practice, by speciality. 1998-2000
• Table 4 Number of contracted man-years between county municipalities and specialized physicians and clinical psychologists about subsidy to private practice, by county. 1998-2000
• Table 5 Number of contracted man-years with specialized physicians and clinical psychologists, by county. 2000. Per 100 000 inhabitants
• Table 6 Number of contracts between specialized physicians and county, by speciality and county. 2000
• Table 7 Number of contracted man-years between specialized physicians and county, by speciality and county. 2000
• Table 8 Number of contracted man-years between specialized physicians and county, by speciality and county. 2000. Per 100 000 inhabitants
• Table 9 Number of contracted man-years between specialized physicians and county, by class of subsidy. 2000