What Health Førde does

Health Førde (Helse Førde HF) is a state-owned regional healthcare trust operating as part of Norway's universal specialist health service. It is wholly owned by Helse Vest RHF, the Western Norway Regional Health Authority, and serves as the mandated provider of specialized hospital and psychiatric care for the population of Sogn og Fjordane. The organization operates five main treatment sites — Førde Sentralsjukehus (central hospital, relocated to the new Livabygget building in autumn 2024), Nordfjord sjukehus, Lærdal sjukehus, Indre Sogn psykiatrisenter, and Sunnfjord Medisinske Senter — together with multiple BUP (child and adolescent psychiatry) outpatient clinics and a 36-bed patient hotel. With approximately 3,000 employees across ~180 professional groups, it is the largest employer in the region.

The service portfolio spans acute somatic care, elective surgery, orthopedics, oncology, neurology, cardiology, maternity care, diagnostic imaging (CT/MRI), laboratory services, and emergency medicine, alongside integrated psychiatric services covering adult, adolescent, and child mental health, substance abuse treatment, and acute crisis intervention. The flagship digital product is eBehandling (eMeistring), a guided internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy program for depression, panic disorder, and social anxiety, approved by Beslutningsforum for nye metodar in 2019 and delivered on the YouWell platform over 12 weeks with therapist-written feedback. Supporting digital tools include the NORSE patient feedback system, Lytteposten low-threshold feedback service, and integration with the national Helsenorge.no patient portal. Technology infrastructure relies on Helse Vest IKT AS as primary IT provider, with Norsk Helsenett SF managing the website and shared patient journal access across 11 Helse Vest institutions.

Revenue is generated almost exclusively through Norway's public healthcare financing system, in which the state — via Helse Vest RHF — allocates funding based on regional health authority budgets and activity-based reimbursement, supplemented by standardized patient deductibles (eigendel). Patients access services predominantly through referrals from general practitioners and municipal health services, with self-service digital access for eBehandling via Helsenorge.no or direct contact. The go-to-market model is institutionally driven rather than commercially marketed: there is no sales-led acquisition, no pricing competition, and no private-pay channel. Strategic positioning is defined by statutory mandate, multi-site regional accessibility, and selective investment in evidence-based digital treatment modalities rather than by commercial differentiation.

Name

Health Førde

Legal name

Helse Førde HF

Website

https://helse-forde.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialist Healthcare Services

NAICS

Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals (622310), Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals (622210), Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals (62221), Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420)

SIC

Services-Hospitals (8060), Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Behavioral & Mental Health Virtual Care (EAP/Teletherapy) (HLALADAB)

Keywords

• Specialist hospital care
• Psychiatric health services
• Digital mental health treatment
• Emergency medical services
• Public healthcare services

Headquarters

HQ city

Førde

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Government-funded Healthcare Services: Health Førde is a state-owned healthcare trust (HF) under the Norwegian specialist health service, funded through the public healthcare financing system. Patients pay a standardized deductible (eigendel) for hospital and outpatient clinic visits, with exemptions for certain groups.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Health Førde (Helse Førde HF) is a state-owned specialist healthcare trust delivering specialized hospital and psychiatric care for the Sogn og Fjordane region of Western Norway. It operates central and local hospitals plus psychiatric centers offering acute care, elective surgery, diagnostic imaging, maternity, oncology, orthopedics, child/adolescent psychiatry, substance abuse treatment, and cardiac rehabilitation. The organization also provides eBehandling (eMeistring), a guided internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy program for adults with depression, panic disorder, and social anxiety, delivered via the YouWell platform.

Product overview

Health Førde (Helse Førde HF) operates as a unified healthcare services organization offering a platform of hospital and specialty services across Sogn og Fjordane. The portfolio consists of physical hospital infrastructure (Førde sentralsjukehus as the central hospital, Nordfjord sjukehus, Lærdal sjukehus) and psychiatric services (Psykiatrisk klinikk at Førde, Nordfjord psykiatrisenter, Indre Sogn psykiatrisenter, regional BUP clinics). The primary digital health product is eBehandling (eMeistring), a guided internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy service for depression, panic disorders, and social anxiety. Supporting services include NORSE for patient-reported outcome feedback and Lytteposten for patient experience input. The organization serves as the largest employer in the region with approximately 3000 employees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• eBehandling (eMeistring) Guided internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy program delivered through the YouWell platform over 12 weeks, providing weekly written support from a therapist for adults with depression, panic disorder, or social anxiety. Accessible via Helsenorge.no, direct contact, or referral from a doctor.
• Førde Sentralsjukehus Central hospital for the Sogn og Fjordane region, functioning as the regional central hospital and local hospital for Sunnfjord and Ytre Sogn municipalities. Houses the Psychiatric Clinic including acute department, inpatient units, outpatient clinics, and a patient hotel with 36 beds. Relocated into the new Livabygget facility in autumn 2024.
• Nordfjord sjukehus Local hospital serving municipalities in Nordfjord, offering various treatment services and outpatient clinics. Provides county-wide cardiac rehabilitation services. Co-located with Nordfjord Psychiatric Center.
• Lærdal sjukehus Local hospital serving residents of Indre Sogn, featuring a medical inpatient ward, a maternity ward, and multiple outpatient clinics.
• Psykiatrisk klinikk (Førde) Psychiatric services including safety ward, acute ward, inpatient units, and outpatient clinics for adults, children, and adolescents, located at Førde Sentralsjukehus.
• Nordfjord psykiatrisenter District psychiatric center providing specialist treatment in mental health and substance abuse for Stad, Gloppen, Stryn, and Kinn municipalities. Located at Sjukehusvegen 9, Nordfjordeid.
• Indre Sogn psykiatrisenter District psychiatric center serving residents of Årdal, Lærdal, Aurland, Luster, Sogndal, and Vik municipalities. Offers specialist treatment in mental health and substance abuse with day, ambulatory, and inpatient services. Co-located with Sogndal BUP, ambulance station, and dermatology outpatient clinic.
• Nordfjord BUP (Barne- og ungdomspsykiatrisk poliklinikk) Specialized outpatient mental health service for children and adolescents under 18 and their families in Gloppen, Kinn, Stad, and Stryn municipalities. Located at Sjukehusvegen 7, Nordfjordeid.
• Sunnfjord Medisinske Senter (Florø) Medical center housing Health Førde's services in Florø, including psychiatric outpatient clinic and day adult psychiatric services recently relocated to the 2nd floor of the building.

Quantifiable outcome

• eBehandling approved by Beslutningsforum for nye metodar (2019) as an evidence-based treatment method for depression, panic disorder, and social anxiety
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NAV SunnfjordcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 June 2024Health Førde signed a strategic partnership agreement with NAV Sunnfjord, one of the first employers in Sunnfjord to do so. The agreement aims to ensure high employment and labor force participation, help vulnerable groups achieve permanent attachment to the labor market, and help the organization meet its workforce needs. The partnership covers: (1) attendance management — prevention of sick leave; (2) recruitment — inclusion and qualification of job seekers for lasting employment; (3) workplace environment development. Health Førde gains a dedicated NAV contact for employer-oriented services.
• Helse Vest IKT AScoreTechnology or IntegrationHelse Vest IKT AS is the main IT operations provider (data processor) for Health Førde. It manages a large portion of the organization's IT systems, and Health Førde has also outsourced the operation of certain systems to external parties. The organization follows the 'Norm for information security and privacy in health and care services' (Normen) and works systematically to ensure personal information is processed in accordance with requirements for confidentiality, integrity, availability, and robustness.
• Norsk Helsenett SFcoreTechnology or IntegrationNorsk Helsenett SF is the national service provider and is responsible for the development and management of the website (helse-forde.no). The information collected is stored in a cloud solution provided by Optimizely.
• Pasientreiser HFminorOthersWhen arranging patient transport, Health Førde forwards personal information to Pasientreiser HF (Norwegian Patient Travel Agency) to organize travel for patients who cannot use public transport due to health or traffic reasons.
• YouWellcoreTechnology or IntegrationYouWell provides the digital platform infrastructure for Health Førde's eBehandling (guided internet treatment) services. Patients access treatment through pasient.klinikk.hfd-helsevest.youwell.no and therapists use behandler.klinikk.hfd-helsevest.youwell.no. YouWell also provides user guidance documentation.
• Helse Vest RHFcoreOthersHealth Førde is a health trust (HF) under the regional health authority Helse Vest RHF. The shared patient journal (pasientjournal) collaboration across Helse Vest includes 11 healthcare institutions enabling cross-institutional access to patient records for treatment purposes.
• Sjukehusapoteka Vest HFminorOthersSjukehusapoteka Vest HF operates the pharmacy department at Førde Sentralsjukehus, providing medicines to discharged and outpatient patients, as well as to staff and visitors. The pharmacy also supplies medicines and pharmaceutical services to most departments in Health Førde and provides pharmaceutical advice to municipalities in Sogn og Fjordane.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Akershus University Hospital (Ahus): Large regional hospital trust under Helse Sør-Øst RHF serving the Akershus population around Oslo. Comparable integration of somatic and psychiatric specialist services, but in a denser urban catchment.
• Oslo University Hospital (OUS): Norway's largest hospital trust under Helse Sør-Øst RHF. Comparable statutory specialist healthcare role and academic teaching function, but operates at substantially larger scale and case complexity.
• St. Olavs Hospital (Helse Midt-Norge): University hospital trust in Trondheim under Helse Midt-Norge RHF. Comparable specialist hospital services including psychiatry and digital CBT, with broader academic/research scale.
• Vestre Viken: Regional health trust under Helse Sør-Øst RHF serving the Buskerud, Asker, Bærum, and Drammen areas. Comparable statutory specialist healthcare provider model with multi-site hospital footprint.

Direct peers

• Nordlandssykehuset (Nordland Hospital): Regional health trust under Helse Nord RHF serving Nordland county. Highly comparable as a multi-site rural/regional hospital with combined somatic and psychiatric specialist services.
• Helse Bergen (Haukeland University Hospital): Largest health trust in Western Norway and sister institution under Helse Vest RHF. Operates a university hospital with comparable somatic and psychiatric service portfolio, shared patient journal infrastructure, and similar referral-based GTM motion.
• UNN (Universitetssykehuset Nord-Norge): University hospital trust in Northern Norway under Helse Nord RHF. Highly comparable multi-site regional hospital structure serving a dispersed rural population across Troms and Finnmark.
• Helse Stavanger (Stavanger University Hospital): Regional health trust under Helse Vest RHF providing specialist hospital and psychiatric services in Rogaland. Closely comparable statutory role, multi-site operations, and digital treatment programs (eMeistring).
• Sykehuset Innlandet: Regional health trust under Helse Sør-Øst RHF covering Innlandet county. Comparable multi-site rural hospital network with integrated specialist mental health and digital treatment offerings.
• Helse Fonna: Regional health trust under Helse Vest RHF serving the Haugesund/Sunnhordland area. Comparable size, rural/semi-rural catchment, multi-hospital footprint, and integrated somatic-psychiatric model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/helseforde
• LinkedInno.linkedin.com/company/helse-forde
• Instagraminstagram.com/helseforde
• Xx.com/HelseFoerde

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Health Førde