For the past three years, Icelandic Health Insurance has been outsourcing such surgeries to private sector providers to increase capacity and reduce waiting lists. Previously, there was a requirement that everyone undergoing surgery with a private provider first had to undergo an examination and a full assessment at a public healthcare institution, which caused duplication of effort and longer waiting times. This requirement was lifted in January 2026, which has resulted in both increased efficiency and shorter waiting times.

Work was also done to improve and simplify the provision of information to users. Since March, patients have been able to monitor their registration on the waiting list for joint replacement surgery on My Pages on Ísland.is, which has been well received. Information about waiting times for more surgeries, such as cataract surgeries, is being steadily added. Now, everyone waiting for surgery at Landspítali University Hospital can access the same information about their registration.

For those interested, a dashboard (in Iclandic) showing the development of waiting times and the number of joint replacement surgeries can be found on the website of the Directorate of Health.