We will combine several population-wide, individual-level data registers to undertake these novel analyses. Using the exact geographic location of the home of all Norwegian residents and health care providers (hospital, office of one's general practitioner, etc.), we calculate travel distance between the locations. We also know everyone's education and where they work, and we have several indicators of health care utilization and health outcomes, by health care provider (consultations, hospitalizations, disability benefits, employment, mortality, etc.). The extremely rich data allow us to use plausibly exogenous variation and quasi-experimental methods to reliably estimate causal effects.
Our project group draw on knowledge and inspiration from national and international researchers within the field of health economics, as well as representatives from the user side. We therefore regularly arrange workshops where we invite talented researchers from other institutions in Norway, as well as from the other Nordic countries and the U.S., in addition to physicians with knowledge on the workings and challenges of the Norwegian healthcare system. Both invited researchers and the internal researchers from the project group are given time to present their own work, and we thoroughly discuss institutional and methodological challenges, as well as potential shared interests.