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Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, and Kela: Phase 1 of the Kanta medication list must be in use by 30 September 2023

Notice - Developers Written on 4.11.2022 All notices

Phase 1 of the Kanta medication list, which includes the 2022 version of the Pharmaceutical Database, was rolled out for use in production at the Prescription Centre in May 2022. There will be an extension to the deployment phase for health care services until 30 September 2023.

Kela will maintain two parallel versions of the Pharmaceutical Database until 30 September 2023. From the beginning of October 2023, only the new, 2022 version will be updated. To facilitate the creation electronic prescriptions from 1 October 2023, the patient data information systems must be updated and use the 2022 version of the Pharmaceutical Database. In conjunction with this, changes to the electronic prescription in phase 1 of the Kanta Pharmaceutical List must be deployed, with the exception of the structured dosage. The package of changes includes statutory changes to the prescription of biological medicines.

On 1 May 2022, the storing of structured dosage data in the Prescription Centre was also introduced. At this stage, the production of structured dosage data is not yet a mandatory feature in patient information systems.

Schedule for changes

Patient information systems must

  • complete the required changes during 2022
  • undergo successful joint testing by 31 December 2022
  • be distribute as the new version to all customers by 30 September 2023.

Organisations must ensure that they have access to phase 1 of the Kanta Pharmaceutical List, excluding the structured dosage implementations, from 1 October 2023.

Benefits of phase 1 of the Kanta Pharmaceutical List

The Kanta Pharmaceutical List brings with it several benefits, such as grouping data for biological medicines, structured additional information, and the codes of the medicine in use.

Grouping data for biological medicines

Patient information systems will have access to the grouping data for biological medicines, which is used to show the prescriber mutually comparable biological medicines and their prices. Government proposal HE 245/2022 proposed an increase to the prescription of the lowest-priced biological medicines so that doctors’ obligation to prescribe the least expensive comparable biological medicinal product will be moved from a Decree of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health to a provision in law. The prescriber must indicate the patient-specific medical or therapeutic basis on the prescription for the selection of a biological medicine other than the least expensive option.

A health care unit or an independent practitioner must ensure that the prescriber has access to the necessary data systems to comply with this obligation. The obligation will be enforced through self-monitoring by operators, as well as by official supervision and sanctions, e.g. by means of a conditional fine. The aim is to increase the use of less costly biological preparations to create savings in pharmaceutical costs. According to a government proposal, the transition period for recording the additional information in the Prescription Centre ends on 1 October 2023.

Structured additional information

With the new version of the Pharmaceutical Database, the additional information required in the case of limited reimbursement will become structured instead of the current practice of standardised entries written by prescribers. The structured additional information clarifies the recording of the grounds for reimbursement and reduces the time required for the preparation of prescriptions. In addition, pharmacies will have less need to contact the health care provider if the additional information is recorded inadequately.

Medicine codes in use

The new version will introduce medicine cones, which are a requirement for the deployment of the Kanta Pharmaceutical List in autumn 2025 (government proposal for the Client Data Act 246/2022). Adding codes to a prescription does not increase the workload of the prescriber. If all prescriptions contain codes, the workload during the transition period in organisations will decrease as the Kanta Pharmaceutical List is deployed.

Further information