The people of Päijäthämä were afraid that Mehiläinen would steal the province’s money - now the disputed joint venture produces quality services at a loss

Three customers are sitting in the corridor of Harju health center, waiting for their turn. The woman in the foreground has a blue down jacket, further away two women are sitting on the couch in their red jackets. — Marja-Riitta Heikkilä waited her turn at Harju health’s emergency reception on Friday. The number of emergency room doctor visits increased by more than 60 percent last year.

Harju health treats the growing number of patients with a strict contract. The ambitious goal is to produce quality services at a fixed price.

Harju health, which provides social security services in Päijät-Hämee, is under the exact cause.

When the company was founded a couple of years ago, the decision-makers’ promises to the people of Päijäthämä were tough. The residents were promised the best social security services in the country and that the region’s money is sufficient for it.

Politically, the decision was sensitive, as a small majority of Harju health is owned by health giant Mehiläinen. The minority shareholder is the Päijät-Häme welfare district, which at the same time monitors that the joint venture fulfills its mission as agreed.

After the second year of operation, satisfaction has increased in all respects. Residents have reached the scope of treatment within the target time and visits to the provincial joint emergency room have decreased.

On the other hand, financially, the goals have not been realized. The company made a loss of 708,000 euros last year. In the current year, Harju health has to balance its finances without the service level suffering.

Costs are cut by tendering

More than 600 health and safety professionals work at Harju health, of which about 200 are doctors and dentists. Last year, the staff had an exceptionally high number of sickness absences. The company had to hire temporary staff also because of the corona virus.

At the end of the year, the inflation that rose at a record high rate increased the costs of Harju’s health.

The company cannot transfer the increased costs to its prices, as it complies with the service contract concluded with the welfare area. According to it, the contract price will be increased by 2.5 percent of the annual turnover in 2022 and 2023. The shortfall will be covered, for example, by tendering service purchases again.

Instead, there are primarily no plans to make personnel reductions.

A young man with a tattoo on his neck and a piercing under his eye stands in the corridor of the health center and looks at the camera. — Miiro Korvenaro was looking for the right service point at Lahti social security center. He wonders how the elderly manage when even a 24-year-old has trouble finding the service he wants.

– There is a crying shortage of military personnel in Finland. Reducing the staff doing clinical work would be quite a bit of cutting off one’s own branch. On the contrary: we could even increase the number of doctors and dentists during this year, says CEO Orre.

Listen to CEO Orre’s promises to the staff:

A strict contract requires high-quality service within a strict financial framework

The past year is financially difficult for Harju’s health. On the other hand, from the point of view of the customer of the service, the Päijät-Häme welfare association, the contract is safe. Mehiläinen has promised a certain service level for a fixed price.

According to Rautiainen, the contract is particularly harsh in the company’s first years, and high inflation and a shortage of nurses make the situation even tougher.

– Thanks to digital services, Harju Health has succeeded in speeding up access to treatment. There is still room for improvement in terms of uniformity, operational reliability and continuity of care, says Rautiainen.

The conversation between the doctor and the client in the Digiklinikka service. — Harju health’s digital clinic has used Mehiläinen’s digital platform until now. At worst, the customer has accidentally strayed to the side of the paid service. This is about to change, when the Päijät-Häme welfare area transfers its digital services to a new platform.

Although it is difficult for the company now, Rautiainen believes that the situation will stabilize during the long contract. The agreement is valid until 2030, after which there is an option to extend it for another ten years.

The need for services is growing

Harju health provides services to Lahti, Iitti and Kärkölä.

Last year, almost 90,000 residents of the region needed Harju health services. The number of patient contacts increased by six percent from the previous year.

400,000 calls were made to assess the need for treatment. Almost all calls were answered within the same day. Those who made a callback request were answered within 42 minutes on average.

– We have established our operations and with that the satisfaction with Harju’s health has increased, says CEO Orre.

One of the purposes of Harju health has been to reduce the use of the province’s joint emergency room, Akuutti 24. Visits to the joint emergency room decreased by 24 percent compared to the previous year, and since the start of Harju health, use has decreased by more than 33 percent. On the other hand, doctor visits at Harju health’s own emergency room increased by 63 percent last year.

Petja Orre from Kärkölä social security station is particularly satisfied, whose customer satisfaction was 98 percent in THL’s measurement.