The Danish health care system: evolution - not revolution - in a decentralized system

The Danish health care system has undergone gradual changes, but not radical reforms, from 1970 until 2004. Theoretically, the development can be viewed from the perspective of fiscal federalism, decentralization, and incentives embodied in reimbursement systems. Furthermore, path dependence and incrementalism have characterized the system. The Danish health care system is decentralized politically, financially, and operationally. The counties are responsible for health care, and finance it out of county income and property taxes along with block grants from the state. Hospitals are publicly owned while general practitioners are private entrepreneurs working on contract with the counties. Hospital services and GP and specialist services are free, while there are co-payments for drugs, adult dental care, physiotherapy and the like. Co-payments make up close to 19% of total health expenditures. The system has been characterized by expenditure control, reasonable positive development in productivity, and a high degree of patient and citizen satisfaction despite waiting lists. Free choice of hospital was introduced more than 10 years ago. It has recently been expanded so that after waiting 2 months for treatments like elective surgery at public hospitals, citizens can choose either private hospitals or go abroad with full payment from public funds. The thinking behind decentralization gradually has been eroded for a number of reasons. This has led to a reform that will be effective as of January 2007. The number of counties will be reduced, but the new regions retain responsibility for health care. A national earmarked health tax will be introduced so that the regions will receive revenues from state block grants and municipal co-payment, for instance an amount per hospitalization. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Explaining Quality Management in the Danish and Swedish Public Health Sectors:Unintended Learning and Deliberate Co-Optation

This article examines the development of diverse quality systems in the otherwise quite similar Danish and Swedish public health sectors. After decades of numerous piecemeal medical and managerial quality development programs in both countries, a nationwide mandatory accreditation system was introduced in the Danish health services in 2009. Nationwide quality indicator projects are also found in Sweden, but there has been political attempt to introduce a compulsory system. This article seeks to explain this difference. It argues, first, that resistance from the medical professions blocked the introduction of compulsory, nationwide quality systems in both countries for decades. Second, the implementation of the Danish accreditation system was triggered by a combination of unintended policy learning produced by local reforms in two counties and of the Ministry of Health’s carefully orchestrated policy process that served to co-opt critical voices in the medical profession