The Belgian National Institute for Sickness and Disability Insurance or NIHDI was established in 1963. It is a public social security institution. The Institute consists of six core services:

• the Medical Care Service
• the Benefits Service,
• the Medical Evaluation and Monitoring Service
• the Administrative Control Service
• Medical Accident Fund
• General support services

Within the NIHDI, the various partners, employees, employers, insurance institutions and health care providers (doctors, physiotherapists, pharmacists, pharmaceutical industry, among others) make agreements on, among other things:

• Approval conditions
• Nomenclature
• Operating procedures
• Cost and reimbursement rates