KEY FINDINGS

Primary care is well-established at the heart of the Danish healthcare system. Danes rate the care given by their GP highly, with 91% giving a positive assessment compared to a European Union average of 84%
But high-quality primary care is not always delivered. Rates of avoidable hospitalisation for people with chronic bronchitis or diabetes are higher in Denmark than in Sweden or Norway, and avoidable admissions for people aged over 65 vary two-fold across Danish municipalities
More broadly, the Danish healthcare system is evolving rapidly. After a heart attack, Danes spend just under four days in hospital – the fastest discharge time in the OECD – underlining the need for high-quality primary care across the country
Better data is key to improving performance. But DAMD, the national information system that used to monitor primary care healthcare needs, activities and patient outcomes, collapsed in 2014. Denmark is now one of the few countries in the OECD with no means of monitoring primary care performance. Patients also lost the ability to ability to access their care records – critical to those living with long-term conditions like diabetes
Payment systems also need reform, to better reward the quality of care. The fee-for-service model dominates in Danish primary care – rewarding activity, not outcomes. There is also substantial scope to develop the role of primary care nurses, and to develop more effective collaboration between GPs and municipalities at local level