Finland: Priorities of the Kanta Services in 2021 have been confirmed

NordenBladet — Kanta is being developed in order to address the needs of healthcare and social welfare and the citizens even better than before. The priorities in 2021 include coronavirus vaccines, the Client Data Act, and the development of My Kanta Pages.The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (STM), the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) and the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela) have published the priorities of the Kanta Services for 2021. The development of the Kanta Services is part of a wider roadmap for digitalisation and information management in the healthcare and social welfare sector.

Coronavirus vaccination data must be entered in Kanta
The coronavirus epidemic will have an impact on the development of Kanta in 2021. Coronavirus vaccination data must be entered correctly in healthcare in order to ensure that it can be utilised in national monitoring and that it is accessible by citizens in My Kanta Pages. The healthcare and social welfare services must ensure that a sufficient system version is used to ensure harmonised entry and recording of vaccination data. Kela supports providers of healthcare and social welfare services in the deployment and testing.

Progress determined by the Client Data Act
The new Client Data Act for healthcare and social welfare services is currently under reform. Parliament will continue the consideration of the Client Data Act during the spring session of 2021. The changes resulting from the Act will be extensive, having an impact on all healthcare and social welfare service providers.As a result of the Act, in addition to patient data, also client data from social welfare services, as well as wellbeing data would be entered in the Kanta Services in the future. Sharing of data in healthcare and social welfare would change so that the client’s extensive consent would be removed.

The Client Data Act would make it compulsory for all private healthcare and social welfare service providers to join Kanta. The joining will be supported at the national level. My Kanta Pages developed for the needs of citizens

My Kanta Pages and its functionalities are constantly improved. From early 2021, it will be possible to act on behalf of another adult in My Kanta Pages with Suomi.fi authentication. Showing of data of a child over 10 years of age to the parent or guardian is already possible in My Kanta Pages, and the healthcare and social welfare service providers are already deploying this functionality in phases.In the future, My Kanta Pages will show, for example, diagnosis and vaccination data on an aggregated basis under separate headings, which makes it easier to find the data. The deployment of this kind of aggregate health data is one of the priorities in 2021.

Development of the medication list continues
The national medication list makes it easier to monitor up-to-date medication from the citizens’ and professional’s viewpoint. The list would show all the medication used by an individual. Information management in medication is developed in cooperation between the national operators and healthcare and social welfare.

Deployment priorities are determined on a national basisIn addition to aggregate data for acting on behalf of a minor and health data, healthcare deployment measures will also prioritise the deployment of the archive of imaging data (radiology, ECG) and sharing of medical certificates and reports from healthcare to Kela and Traficom in 2021. Social welfare will support new deployments and extend the functionalities, for example, in acting on behalf of a child. Deployments of the register access right will also be prioritised.

Further informationMarkku Heinäsenaho, Head of information management, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health,
Riitta Konttinen, Senior Specialist, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL),
Pirjo Vuorikallas, Lead Product Owner, Social Insurance Institution of Finland, Kanta Services,