Funding the scheme
Who owns NPE and how is the patient injury system funded?
NPE is a government agency under the Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services.
The scheme is mainly funded by the regional healthcare trusts. The distribution of contributions between the four healthcare trusts is determined according to the proportion of the compensation payments that each regional healthcare trust has accounted for during the past five years. We determine the amounts they will pay out based on our forecast for compensation payments. Any discrepancy between contributions received and the compensation amount actually paid out is adjusted through a settlement in the following year.
The individual hospitals also pay a contribution towards cases which we uphold. This contribution is NOK 10,000, plus 10 percent of the remaining amount – subject to a maximum of NOK 100, 000.
The counties fund payments for the public dental service, and the municipalities fund payments relating to municipal health and care services. The counties and municipalities pay a share based on the number of inhabitants. We do not collect any contributions from municipalities or county councils.
Injuries that occurred before 1 January 2003 are processed according to the interim rules and are funded by the state.
The processing of cases in the private health services is funded through contributions from enterprises which employ health personnel. The contributions are used to cover expenses linked to compensation claims: compensation payouts, expenses for legal assistance and operating expenses for NPE and the Patients’ Injury Compensation Board.