Kanta Services to be expanded with patient data from social welfare services and self-produced wellbeing data
The Government proposes expanding the data in the national information system services or Kanta Services using patient data from social welfare services and wellbeing data produced by individuals themselves.
National electronic information systems are already used in providing healthcare services. This includes data from the Prescription Centre, the Patient Data Repository and the Pharmaceutical Database, the MyKanta citizen interface and the patient data management service.
The proposed amendments would create the conditions for adopting national data system services and making client data available at the national level in social welfare services as well.
Moving forward, the Kanta archive would act as the national healthcare and social welfare client data service in which healthcare and social welfare service providers would save patient and client documents produced in work with clients as soon as the documents are generated. This way, professionals could use the data in providing up-to-date, comprehensive treatment, care and services to clients throughout Finland.
Healthcare and social welfare professionals would have the right to process the client and patient information needed for their work. This right would be based on legislation and on the customer-specialist relationship.
The broad consent currently in use in healthcare would cease to be used. Clients would have the option of restricting the disclosure of their data from one healthcare and social welfare data controller to another.
Clients would also be able to save their own wellbeing data or data produced by different wellbeing applications in their Personal Health Record (Kanta PHR). This data would be available to professionals and could be used based on the client’s consent.
In addition, clients would have the possibility to authorise another person to use the electronic services on their behalf.
The proposal would also end the use of the medical prescription archive. Moving forward, prescription data would be saved and stored exclusively in the Prescription Centre.
The Act on the Electronic Handling of Client Information in Healthcare and Social Welfare is set to enter into force on 1 March 2019.
More information
Marja Penttilä, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 295 163 404
Joni Komulainen, Lawyer, tel. +358 295 163 453
Anna Kärkkäinen, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 295 163 702