The pharmacy will send the renewal request to the Prescription Centre who will then forward the request to the healthcare unit specified by the patient (e.g. health centre, private clinic). This may be the same unit where the prescription was issued or the unit where the patient's care has been transferred to. Not all healthcare units accept renewal requests. The pharmacy may apply for the status information on the renewal requests it has made from the Prescription Centre.
Before submitting the renewal request, patients must be told how they will receive information about the result of the renewal. Patients may request this information from the pharmacy or a healthcare unit or, if they so wish, receive it as a text message. Patients must, above all, be informed about the data protection related to text messages as the name of the preparation is mentioned in the message. If a patient wants to receive the information as a text message, the correct mobile number must always be verified so that the message will not be sent to the wrong number. The Prescription Centre will send a text message to the patient once the renewal request has been handled.
Renewal request is valid for 8 days
The renewal request is valid for 8 days. During that time, the doctor can renew the prescription or deny the request. A prescription, the renewal request of which has been denied once, cannot be renewed again. If the request has been addressed to the wrong healthcare unit, the doctor can return it to the Prescription Centre. If the prescription renewal request has been returned from a unit, renewal can be requested from another unit.
The Prescription Centre keeps a record of renewal requests, and requests that have not been handled by a healthcare unit within 8 days from the patient information system receiving the request are entered as lapsed by the Prescription Centre. If the renewal request has lapsed, it is possible to submit the renewal request again. If the request to the healthcare unit is unsuccessful, it is possible to carry out a new renewal request on the prescription.
Message to patient on the result of the renewal request
Patients have the opportunity to receive information about whether their prescription has been renewed or whether it has been denied or it has lapsed. If they so wish, patients may receive this information as a text message from the Prescription Centre or ask at the pharmacy or healthcare unit. If a patient's prescription is not renewed for treatment reasons and the patient has not opted for a text message notification, the healthcare unit in question is obliged to notify the patient that the renewal request has been denied in some other way, e.g. by phone or letter.
Patients can monitor the processing of their renewal request in MyKanta.