Austad Diagnostikk violated Norwegian health laws over ultrasound scans
Private clinic chain Austad Diagnostikk has been found in direct violation of Norwegian health laws by the Norwegian Board of Health Supervision (Statens helsetilsyn), following an exhaustive investigation that scrutinized nearly 200 patient records and targeted the company’s widespread marketing of preventative ultrasound scans to healthy individuals.
Operating 15 clinics across Norway, including locations in Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, and Stavanger, the company built its business model on selling ultrasound health checks directly to consumers. These screenings range in price from 2,990 to 4,890 Norwegian kroner. Yet, state inspectors determined that the practice fundamentally undermines standard medical safety and places an unwarranted administrative burden on the public healthcare sector.
Regulatory Findings Point to Unjustified Scans and Marketing Breaches
Statens helsetilsyn concluded that Austad Diagnostikk breached the specialist health services act regarding the statutory requirement for professional responsibility. The board also identified severe infractions under the health personnel act concerning resource utilization, patient and relative communication, and commercial marketing tactics. The inquiry also established that the private chain lacked the official regulatory approvals necessary to legally operate laboratory and X-ray facilities.
The investigation was spearheaded by Sjur Lehmann, director at Statens helsetilsyn, who signed the comprehensive 25-page ruling. According to the regulatory findings, offering preventative ultrasound scans to asymptomatic individuals creates a false impression of clinical efficacy. This practice directly subjects patients to unnecessary expenditures and a waste of personal time.
The board’s final assessment explicitly states that the company’s operational practices amount to substantial deviations from established medical standards. These combined deviations are severe enough to be legally classified as professionally indefensible under Norwegian healthcare legislation.
Years of Municipal Criticism Culminates in State Enforcement
The regulatory intervention follows years of persistent warnings from municipal health authorities. Cato Innerdal, the municipal chief physician in Molde, spent several years publicly challenging the commercial model employed by Austad Diagnostikk. Innerdal repeatedly warned that the chain’s widespread screening of healthy citizens triggered an unnecessary influx of secondary follow-up cases within public hospitals and municipal clinics, as doctors struggled to investigate incidental, benign findings.
Welcoming the regulatory conclusion, Innerdal emphasized the vital importance of clinical accountability across the national medical system. He noted that the primary objective is ensuring that patients can place absolute trust in the professional validity of any medical service offered within the country.
The board has formally ordered Austad Diagnostikk to overhaul its operational practices and advertising methods, granting the company a strict deadline of November 1 to outline corrective measures. Managing Director Gunnar Austad stated to NRK that he had just received the regulatory conclusion and intended to review the document thoroughly before issuing a formal response. Austad has historically rejected outside criticism, previously defending the company’s medical services as highly valuable to participating patients.