Asset Publisher

The latest Kanta service is ready: Kelain can now be used to issue electronic prescriptions

Notice - Professionals Written on 28.9.2016 All notices

Kelain is Kela’s online prescription service, which permits issuing and processing of electronic prescriptions. It is designed for doctors and dentists who do not have access to a patient records database or other similar service for producing electronic prescriptions. At the first phase, Kelain is deployed for the private use of doctors and dentists, along with self-employed professionals.

Kela developed the new service in partnership with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (STM), the National Institute for Health and Welfare of Finland (THL) and the Finnish Medical Association. This way both the Finnish- and Swedish-language services have been made as user-friendly as possible. Kelain is a certified system and fulfils strict functionality and data security criteria.

An excellent alternative for when electronic prescriptions become mandatory at the turn of the year

Electronic prescriptions become mandatory on 1 January 2017. After that, paper and phone prescriptions may only be used in fault situations and exceptional circumstances.

More than 90% of all prescriptions are already issued electronically. However, some doctors have no access to a data processing system for issuing electronic prescriptions. Kelain is the solution in such cases.

Deploying and using the service is easy

You log into the service at www.kelain.fi. A doctor’s or dentist’s professional card is required to log in.

Sini Palo, Customer Relations Manager for Kelain, describes how easy the service is to use: 

“When the Kelain service was under construction, we received valuable expert assistance from doctors. Therefore, we were able to make the service as easy to use as possible. There are detailed instructions both on deploying the service and using it, as well as fault situations, in the service or on the Kelain website.

Doctors and dentists who are not issuing electronic prescriptions in the capacity of healthcare service provider employees or as self-employed professionals can start using the Kelain service by registering as users.  

Self-employed professionals can register as Kelain users after they have first joined the Kanta Services. More detailed instructions on joining the Kanta Services are on the kanta.fi website.”

Kelain charges set annually by STM Decree

Kelain is free of charge for everyone this year, but self-employed professionals are required to pay a charge per prescription for using the Kanta Services, regardless of which system they use to issue prescriptions. In the period 1 July – 31 December 2016 the charge for each electronic prescription issued in private healthcare is EUR 0.32.

Using Kelain is also free of charge during 2017 when a doctor issues an electronic prescription under his or her professional right and with no earning logic. Practical examples of such doctors are those who are retired, in administrative positions, or otherwise issue occasional prescriptions outside their actual work.

In 2017, using the service is chargeable if the doctor is a self-employed professional or employed in a healthcare company. The charges are the same as those of similar services already on the market, and they are set by a Ministry Decree. There is also an additional charge for each prescription.

Further information

Sini Palo, Customer Relations Manager
Kela, Kanta Services
sini.palo@kela.fi
tel. 020 634 0092

Pirjo Ikävalko, Communications specialist
Kela, Kanta Services
pirjo.ikavalko@kela.fi
tel. 020 634 2743

Harri Nurmi, Project Manager
National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL)
Information Services, Operational Management Unit
harri.nurmi2@thl.fi
tel. 029 524 7355

Read on about Kelain