Estonian health insured treatment cases in European countries and treatment of Europeans in Estonia

County — location of health care service provider. It is classified according to the Classification of Administrative and Settlement Units of Estonia (EHAK) (see classifications and lists).

Health care provider or health care facility — a legal person whose principal or ancillary activity is to provide health care services. Health care providers must have an activity licence issued by the Health Board. Health care service providers are classified according to International Classification for Health Accounts (ICHA) classification ICHA-HP (see classifications and lists).

Health care speciality — specialty entered in the medical bill submitted to the Estonian Health Insurance Fund. Specialty is knowledge and skills acquired in an educational institution, latest qualifications or speciality. Classification of medical specialities in the health care system is based on the List of Specialities of Physicians and the List of Nursing Specialities.

Number of residents with health insurance — number of persons insured by Estonian Health Insurance Fund, as of 31st of December.

Data of Estonian health insured treatment cases in European countries and treatment of Europeans in Estonia is gathered by Estonian Health Insurance Fund.

The cost of treatment for Estonian health insured in European countries (table RA10) reflects only the cost of treatment paid by the Estonian Health Insurance Fund. The data excludes out-of-pocket expenditure, i.e. the cost of medical treatment or medication paid by the patient. The data is based on the Estonian Health Insurance Fund's claims that other European countries' health care service providers have presented to cover the cost of Estonian residents with health insurance (mainly pensioners and temporary workers who live in that country) who have received medical care in that country (the time of service provision may have occured also year before). The statistics on the treatment of Estonian health insured persons in Europe include the data of all the European Economic Area countries together with Great Britain and Switzerland (a total of 31 countries) where Estonians have received treatment and the Estonian Health Insurance Fund has received claim about it: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Spain, Netherlands, Croatia, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Norway, Poland, Portugal, France, Sweden, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Finland, Great Britain, Switzerland, Denmark, Czech Republic and Hungary. The Estonian health insured treatment cases in European countries data exclude data provided under scheduled treatment or Directive 2011/24/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2011 on the application of patients’ rights in cross-border healthcare.

Statistics of treatment cases of Europeans in Estonia (tables RA12, RA13, RA131, RA14) take into account the data of 36 countries of the European region — i.e. all previously mentioned countries, to which patients from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus are added.

Classification of Estonian administrative units and settlements (EHAK)

Classification is used in order to provide regional statistics. Regional statistics are submitted by 15 counties. Information about Tallinn and Tartu is submitted separately. Until 2017, data by the counties and municipalities is distributed by the administrative division that existed before administrative reform (October 2017). Data starting from 2018 is distributed by new administrative division. This classification system is available on the webpage of the Statistics Estonia in the Classifications section.

Classification of Health Care Service Providers (ICHA-HP)

Classification of Health Care Service Providers (ICHA-HP) is based on the health expenditure system, which uses the International Classification for Health Accounts (ICHA), version 2011. The classification can be found on OECD webpage.

Estonian Health Insurance Fund website and annual reports

Jane Idavain

Department of Health Statistics

National Institute for Health Development

E-mail: jane.idavain[at]tai.ee

Renewed: 21.08.2023