The Central Finland Health Care District was the first health care district to introduce the patient information system according to the new Finnish Health Care Act. In addition to the Central Finland Health Care District, Tieto's system covers patient information for almost all of the health centres in the region. Approximately 70% of the region's population is covered by the system, which is the country's largest single Effica patient information system. Three further health centre systems, which currently operate independently from one another, will be integrated into the register by 2014.
"A single, integrated patient information system brings savings in the use, maintenance and development of the information system, as well as providing access to national information system services," says Martti Pysäys, Chief Information Officer, Central Finland Health Care District. The integration of a health care district's internal systems quickly brings benefits as more than 95 percent of the patients, patient information and money move within the local district.
"Citizens are the main winners, both as taxpayers and as health care customers. For the patient safety, it is important to have access to complete patient information, regardless of where the patient is being treated. Now the same information is available to health centres as it is to specialized units of the Central Hospital of Central Finland," Pysäys continues.
Under the new Health Care Act, the health care unit treating the patient can use information on the shared patient information register from other units, such as health centres, to the extent required for the patient's treatment. The use of patient information does not require express consent from the patient. However, the patient has the right to refuse the use of information from another unit.
"There is a clear tendency towards more extensive integrated regional systems in Finland," says Hannu Puuronen, responsible for Tieto's healthcare business in Finland. "We hope that the good example set in Central Finland will encourage other regions to embrace similar solutions. We want to be involved in ensuring safe treatment and in enabling the development of Finnish health care systems and operations," says Puuronen.
