Health Services Operations

As per Article 6 of the Medical Director of Health and Public Health Act, those who intend to commence the operation of a health service shall notify the Directorate of Health thereof. The Directorate of Health subsequently confirms whether the proposed operation meets professional requirements and other conditions of health legislation.

A completed and signed notification and the necessary documentation shall be sent to the Directorate of Health in PDF format.

Confirmation that the operator meets minimum professional requirements is not issued until all the necessary documentation has been submitted, as determined by the Directorate of Health.

Requests for an expedited procedure cannot be granted.

The Directorate of Health shall be notified if changes are made to a health services operator's staffing, equipment, operations and services, according to paragraph 2, Art. 6 of the Medical Director of Health and Public Health Act.

Only those health service operators who have already received operation confirmation from the Directorate of Health may apply for permission to provide telehealth services. The provision of such services is prohibited until the Directorate of Health has confirmed that the operation meets professional requirements and other conditions of health legislation.

A notification of telehealth services must include information about the proposed services, including the rationale for providing telehealth services instead of on-site services, the intended patient group, how the services will be arranged, etc. Furthermore, how patient safety is ensured by their access to the service.

If there are no precedents for the use of remote services within the relevant health sector, it is necessary to submit information, if available, on research or evaluations that support the use of telehealth services within that sector.

It should be emphasized that the operation of health services, including remote health services, must meet minimum requirements, with reference to the Health Service Act, the Medical Director of Health and Public Health Act, the Regulation on the Medical Director of Health´s supervision of health services operations and minimum professional requirements and a Directive on information security in the provision of telehealth services, issued by the Medical Director of Health.

Precondition for exemption

As per Art. 26 Healthcare Practitioners Act, healthcare professionals are not allowed to run their practices after the age of 75. However, it is possible to apply for an exemption from this provision. According to the Regulation on the conditions for obtaining an exemption to provide health care services in one's practice after the age of 75 (Icelandic), an applicant for an exemption must meet the following conditions.

• Be mentally and physically able to operate the services.

• Have maintained their knowledge and professional skills and kept up with innovation.

Application and supporting documents

The application must be accompanied by information on the type and scope of healthcare services provided in the past five years.

A medical certificate, no older than six months, must be submitted, certifying that the applicant is mentally and physically capable of carrying out the activities covered by the exemption.

The applicant must submit an overview and documentation on continuing education, courses, and/or other documents that confirm professional knowledge and skills and that the applicant has kept up with innovations in the last five years.

A healthcare professional can apply for a continuing exemption to provide healthcare services at one´s practice after the age of 75 according to regulation no. 620/2014 (Icelandic).

The applicant must provide information on the type and scope of his healthcare services/activities since the time the previous exemption was issued.

Application and supporting documents

• A medical certificate, not older than six months, must be submitted, which certifies that the applicant is mentally and physically capable of carrying out the healthcare services covered by the exemption.

• An overview and data on continuing education, courses, and/or other that confirm the maintenance of professional knowledge, professional skills and that the applicant has adopted the latest innovations must be submitted year.

If the operation of health services is discontinued, the Directorate of Health must be notified, according to paragraph 2 Art. 6 of the Medical Director of Health and Public Health Act. Information on the storage of medical records needs to be provided.

Supervised consumption services to use offers harm reduction resources and health services.

A supervised consumption service is a legally protected environment where consumers who are 18 years of age and older can inject addictive and narcotic substances intravenously under the supervision of staff and the utmost hygiene, safety, and infection prevention are taken care of.

Local authorities that intend to start the operation of supervised consumption services to use must apply for an operating license from the Directorate of Health in accordance with Article 4 of the regulation on supervised consumption services (Icelandic).

A municipality is not allowed to start the operation of a supervised consumption service to use until a license from the Directorate of Health is granted. The Directorate of Health is authorized to grant a license for a limited time which is subjected to requirements in accordance with the regulation on supervised consumption services the office deems appropriate. It is not permitted to change the criteria underlying the license, except with the approval of the Directorate of Health.

Checklist for an application for a supervised consumption service to use (Icelandic)

Municipalities that intend to change the operation of supervised consumption space shall apply to the Directorate of Health in accordance with Article 4 of the regulation on consumption services

Those who intend to start an operation that involves the use of cells and/or tissues must report this to the Directorate of Health, in accordance with paragraph 2, Art. 6 of the Medical Director of Health and Public Health Act, Regulation on the Medical Director of Health´s supervision of health services operations and minimum professional requirements (Icelandic) and the Regulation on quality and safety in the handling of human cells and tissues No. 1188/2008 (Annex VI in Appendix 1) (Icelandic).

Centres for human cells and tissues