in content lists or on the content page.During the last two years, MAISEMA projects under Sitra’s Health Care Programme have focused on financial management in about 30 municipalities. Transparency of expenditure provides the required additional information to make well-founded changes and for successful financial management. The latest surveys shed light on the cost structure of the municipalities of Joroinen and Juva and the health care and care services of Varkaus.
The Raisio model employed in MAISEMA projects has proven a well-functioning tool for analysing and steering the service structure in both individual municipalities and entire regions. With the model, it is possible to render social and health care costs transparent and turn them into comparable data between various municipalities.
– We are both glad and thankful that such a large group of enthusiastic municipalities willing to change got on board. The MAISEMA project has provided these municipalities with up-to-date data on the cost structure of health care services, and provided decision-makers with tools for financial management. Next up for many municipalities is the launch of optimisation work so that customers get better service more cost-effectively, says Hannu Hanhijärvi, Executive Director of Sitra’s Health Care Programme.
– Our job is to test and develop new and better models to improve health care services. The work to chart the service structure and costs in municipal social and health care services commenced in MAISEMA projects will be continued by Kuntamaisema Oy founded in the spring 2008.
– In future, we will probably focus more on change management and promoting it in the municipalities. It’s obvious that support is needed because the changes met by the municipalities relate not only to health care but to the development of the financial operations throughout municipal activities as well. Networking and close operation between various parties are key in this work, adds Hanhijärvi.
The new municipal programme to be launched in Sitra in 2009 is partly a response to these challenges. The aim of the five-year programme is to develop production models of municipal services to meet the challenges of growing regional disparities and labour shortages.
Knowledge leads to optimisation of activities
The most recent results of the MAISEMA project based on computational surveys are now complete with regard to Joroinen, Juva and Varkaus.
The surveys focused particularly on how and at what cost nursing and care services, doctors’ and dentists’ surgeries as well as mental health and substance abuse services were organised in the municipalities. With regard to Joroinen and Juva, the data will complement the Mikkeli region survey that was completed earlier this year.
The results serve as further evidence that looking at service ranges and unit costs as a whole reveals distortions in the social and health services, the fixing of which creates considerable savings without having to resort to cutting services and lowering their quality. On the contrary, correctly functioning structures contribute positively to quality. Findings differ between municipalities and consequently the measures are municipality- or region-specific.
Further information
Sitra
Hannu Hanhijärvi, Executive Director, tel. +358 9 6189 9440 firstname.lastname@sitra.fi
Ilmo Parvinen, Business Director, tel. +358 50 352 1970, firstname.lastname@sitra.fi
Kuntamaisema Oy
Eero Vaissi, Managing Director, tel. +358 40 485 7482, firstname.lastname@kuntamaisema.fi
Reports
The reports are published at this web site in Finnish.
Town of Varkaus
Pirjo Vainio, Director of Social and Health Services, tel. +358 40 719 6387, firstname.lastname@varkaus.fi
Juva municipality / JJR
Satu Auvinen, Director of Social Services Department, tel. +358 40 834 452 23, firstname.lastname@juva.fi