The Kanta Services form a unique service entity based on legislation.
Act on the Electronic Processing of Client Data in Healthcare and Social Welfare
The purpose of the Act on the Processing of Client Data in Healthcare and Social Welfare (the Client Data Act, 703/2023) is to harmonise the processing of client data in health care and social welfare and when organising and implementing health care and social welfare services.
The Client Data Act lays down provisions, among other things, on the general principles concerning the processing of client data, the keeping of records of client data, the rights of social welfare and health care service providers to obtain information, and the requirements concerning health care and social welfare information systems. In addition, the Act lays down provisions on the Kanta Services and the requirements related to their implementation.
The Client Data Act obliges public health care and social welfare service providers to store client and patient data in national archiving services.
The deployment of the Kanta Services is mandatory for private health and social service providers if they are using an information system for the purpose of processing of client and patient data.
In terms of private and public providers of social services, the obligation to join will become effective within the transition periods. Further information about the entry into force of the Act and the transition periods:
Ministry of Social Affairs and Health Decree on the Rights of Access to Client Data
The decree of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health regulates the data that can be used by professionals and other persons processing client data on the basis of their work duties and the service provided. The service provider must determine the right of access to client data by a social welfare and healthcare professional or other person who processes client data. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health has published an application guide to support the implementation of the act (yhteistyotilat.fi, in Finnish and Swedish)(opens new window).
Act on Electronic Prescriptions
The Electronic Prescriptions Act (61/2007) makes use of the Prescription service mandatory for pharmacies, social welfare and health care service providers who write prescriptions, and for those who prescribe medicines independently. Hospital pharmacies can deploy the Prescription service, but there is no legal obligation to do so.
All prescriptions must be issued electronically. Telephone or paper prescriptions may be issued only in exceptional cases. The pharmacy will also convert these prescriptions into electronic format and record them in the Prescription Centre.
The objective of the Act is to improve patient and medicine safety and to facilitate a smoother and more efficient process of issuing and dispensing medicines.
Act on the Secondary Use of Health and Social Data
The data in the Kanta Services are also used in knowledge management, research, and regulatory tasks. This is referred to as secondary use of social welfare and healthcare data.
The Act on the Secondary Use of Health and Social Data (552/2019, the Secondary Use Act) enables efficient and secure processing of personal data and their aggregation with the data stored in the Kanta Services.