All Finnish citizens have the right to choose and change their public health care provider location, both for primary and specialised health care. This is called freedom of choice in care. One should note that when the provider location for primary health care is changed, all non-urgent health care services will be transferred to the new location. The selection does not apply to school or student health care or to long-term institutional care. Where specialised health care is concerned, the selection / right to change always applies to a specific set of treatments only. If you wish to receive treatment at a location other than the one nearest to you in your municipality of residence, the matter must be raised when a referral or transfer report is being drafted. However, you do not have a choice as to which level of care is the most appropriate provider for you (e.g. regional or university hospital).
When a person with diabetes changes their locality of residence, it should be noted that there may be differences in treatment practices between wellbeing services counties. The treatment of diabetes in primary health care may, for example, take place through appointments with your family doctor, or in a centralised system through a dedicated diabetes physician and nurse. Such treatment may also be centralised in a separate centre of excellence, which may be further away from your place of residence and belong to either primary or specialised health care. The selection of and distribution criteria for medical supplies may also vary regionally.
What to do when your place of residence is changing
When your place of residence is changing, you should inform your care provider well in advance. It is important to investigate how the treatment of diabetes in your new place of residence is organised. You can receive assistance from either the current diabetes treatment location or through contacting the social and health services helpline of the new municipality of residence’s wellbeing services county.
Your current diabetes physician will write a transfer referral containing your previous medical history and treatment plan for delivery to the new care location. As a rule, the responsibility for care will be transferred to the new location three weeks after the arrival of the referral. For this reason, it is worth making preparations well in advance. The treatment plan prepared by the physician who made the referral will be taken into account, but the follow-up appointment may be carried out on a different schedule, for example, to update the assessment of the necessary medical supplies more quickly.
Staying outside your home municipality for a longer period of time
At times, there are situations where a diabetic patient will stay outside their home locality for a longer period, for example, at the municipality of their summer cottage, or because of their studies. In this case, they may receive treatment in accordance with their treatment plan from their temporary municipality of residence. This requires that the stay in another locality be notified to your regular care provider, which will notify the temporary care provider in writing and deliver the treatment plan there. Responsibility for the treatment, however, remains at your own care location.