Both public and private service providers may request summaries of statistics on prescription, client, patient, and log data stored in Kanta. Service providers may use these statistics to develop, follow, monitor, and report their activities.
Kela may only disclose information on the data that were stored in Kanta by the service provider making the request. Service providers may request a one-off report or a regular delivery of reports. The statistics provided may not contain personal data.
Kanta contains a comprehensive database of client, patient, and prescription data from health and social services, as well as log data detailing how the various Kanta Services have been used. The data in Kanta can be leveraged to respond to a variety of service providers’ information needs. For example, wellbeing services counties can gain information from Kanta about
- how much of a particular medication is prescribed in the wellbeing services county
- how many particular physiological measurement results have been recorded in the wellbeing services county and what the range of the results is
- how many social welfare decisions of various kinds are made in the wellbeing services county
- how often professionals perform searches in the Kanta Services.
Submitting statistical data requests
As a representative of a service provider, you may submit a statistical data request by filling in the Statistics data request form (pdf, in Finnish) and sending it to kanta@kanta.fi. We generally return statistical reports as CSV files. The response time depends on how extensive the data request is and on our work situation at the time.
For advice on how to submit statistical data requests, please contact the Kanta statistical data service by e-mail at kanta@kanta.fi. You can ask for additional information on what kind of data you may request from Kanta, for instance. We also provide advisory services on the contents, variables and classification of statistical data.
The use of Kanta data in public and private service providers’ operations is authorised in the section 66 of the Act on the Processing of Client Data in Healthcare and Social Welfare (finlex.fi, in Finnish).
If you would like to make data requests for other Kela statistics, such as benefits and reimbursements for medicine expenses, you can find instructions on how to do so in the Info Tray.
Research permits for Kanta data are granted by Findata
Those who wish to use Kanta data for other secondary purposes must apply to the Finnish Social and Health Data Permit Authority Findata. The social welfare and health care client data stored in Kanta may be leveraged as research material and for development and innovation ventures, among other things.
Read more about leveraging Kanta data for scientific research and for information management.
Kela’s Communications Unit handles media enquiries
Media enquiries about the Kanta Services are handled by Kela's Communications Unit. For instance, the Communications Unit forwards requests for interviews to Kanta experts.