Helfo's responsibilities include making payments from the National Insurance scheme to healthcare providers, suppliers and service providers, as well as individual refunds of expenses incurred by private individuals relating to medicines and healthcare services at home and abroad.
Helfo’s societal mission
Helfo’s social mission is to safeguard the rights of stakeholders in the health sector and private individuals, and to provide information and guidance concerning health services.
Helfo administers rights granted under Chapter 5 of the National Insurance Act (support linked to health services), contributes to compliance and ensures that patient rights are upheld.
Services to the general public and health service providers
Helfo’s services to the general public involve reimbursement of expenditure for medicines and medical supplies. Helfo’s services to the general public also include the following:
- Switching GP (self-service solution)
- Healthcare exemption card
- European Health Insurance Card/ EHIC (self-service solution)
- Right to choose your treatment centre
- Patient mediation in the event of exceeded waiting time
- User support functions for all services available at helsenorge.no if users cannot find answers to their questions online
Helfo’s services to health service providers are:
- Reimbursement of expenditure incurred by health service providers relating to patient treatment.
- Guidance and support function for Helfo’s services (online and by phone)
Health service providers can find information about Helfo’s services online at helfo.no. The general public can find information and self-service solutions at the online health portal helsenorge.no.
Simpler digital services
Increasingly more private individuals no longer have to apply for a refund. They use Helfo’s self-service solutions and get their rights clarified immediately.
Private individuals easily get what they are entitled to:
- greater degree of equal treatment
- faster processing of blue prescription applications
- digital healthcare exemption card
Health service providers can spend less time doing administration work than they did before due to:
- more efficient application processes and support in sending correct applications
- simpler regulations and services
- easier correction of formal errors in settlement claims
- the possibility to look up previous decisions
In 2021, the blue prescription solution was adopted by almost all doctors in Norway, which led to large parts of Helfo’s case processing being automated. More automatic and less manual case processing also makes Helfo’s administration more efficient.
You can read more about Helfo’s services to the general public and health service providers in our annual reports.
Helfo’s office structure
Helfo has offices in these Norwegian cities:
- Tonsberg
- Fredrikstad
- Sola
- Orsta
- Mo i Rana
- Kirkenes