A major part of health care costs in Finland are covered by the municipality where a patient lives. The fees collected from patients comply with the Act on Client Fees in Social Welfare and Health Care (734/1992) and the Decree on Client Fees in Social Welfare and Health Care (912/1992) as well as with decisions made by the joint municipal board of Northern Ostrobothnia Hospital District. The fees are collected from service users unless otherwise stipulated by the law.
As a rule, client fees are chargeable, however, some services are free of charge as laid down by law. Fees for out-patient care and short term institutionalised care are fixed with no discretionary fee reduction or a waiver. The option of discretion is limited to means-tested fees, only (long-term institutionalised care).
Payment of client fees
Client fee invoices are sent to the payer after a consultation either as a paper or e-invoice. In order to be invoiced electronically, you need a valid e-invoicing agreement with your netbank. Enter Oulu University Hospital and Care of the developmentally disabled of unit (Oulun yliopistollinen sairaala ja Tahkokangas in Finnish) or Oulaskangas Hospital (Oulaskankaan sairaala) in the invoicer and Care invoice into the subject field. Your personal identification code is entered in the identifier field. If you wish to use the direct payment option, you have to make a service agreement with your bank first. Take the latest Oulu University Hospital or Oulaskangas invoice to be bank in order to sign a service agreement for direct payment.
You can also pay client fees by debit or credit cards at the central information desk at N entrance hall in Oulu University Hospital.
Outstanding payments
Outstanding client fees will be transferred to a collection agency for collection. Collection fees comply with the Act on Debt Collecting (513/1999). Late payment interest, determined by the Interest Act (633/1982), is added to the other charges. The collecting agency is in charge of customer service for collecting.
Client fees are immediately distrainable debts not requiring a court judgement or decision.
Contact details for patient and municipal payment unit
Payment-related and maximum annual fees issues:
+358 8 315 5779
E-mails: potilasmaksut(at)ppshp.fi or maksukatto(at)ppshp.fi
Occupational and traffic accidents as well as any occupational disease issues, foreign patients:
+358 8 315 4372
+358 8 315 4475
text message +358 40 177 9913
E-mails: kuntalaskutus(at)ppshp.fi
invoicing(at)ppshp.fi
Patient invoicing for outsourced and purchased services:
+358 8 315 5807
E-mails: ostopalvelut(at)ppshp.fi
Superior: +358 8 315 4370
Foreigner fees
A person living in an EU state, EEA country or Switzerland shall prove their right to immediate (necessary) health care procedure by presenting their European Health Insurance Card, EHIC or similar temporary certificate in place of the European health insurance card, or persons working in Finland or receiving pension in Finland can use a Kela certificate, based on which they are entitled the same fees for their care and treatment as Finnish residents.
Exceptions to the primary rule:
- If you do not have your EHIC card with you and live in a Nordic country you can prove your right to medical treatment by your identity card / passport issued by your country of residence and an address in that country.
- If you live in Australia you can prove your right to medical treatment by your passport and an address in the country of your residence. The agreement does not cover students.
- If you live in Quebec, Canada, you have to prove your entitlement to medical treatment by a Q/SF1 or Q/SF4 form. The agreement does not cover visitors and tourists who do not have these forms.
A person living in an EU or EEA country, Switzerland or Britain and seeking non-urgent care or treatment have to present a preliminary permission (E112 or S2) or otherwise they are charged the true costs.
People coming from other countries shall pay the true costs of their care or treatment for both immediate (necessary) and non-urgent care.
Foreigners with a domicile in Finland who are covered by Finnish health insurance or who have a valid proof of entitlement to care allowances and benefits in Finland shall be charged the same client fees as persons living permanently in Finland.
Correction claim
If you have issues with this bill, contact the unit in which you were treated to check for any billing error. If the bill remains, in your opinion, erroneous even after a response from the issuing unit, you may file a written complaint with the Northern Ostrobothnia Hospital District Board of Directors.
You are entitled to seek review if the invoice is addressed to you, or if it directly affects your rights, duties or interests.
Your correction claim must reach the authority by no later than the 30th day following the date when you received the invoice.
Unless otherwise shown, an invoice is considered received on the 7th day after it has been sent.
The day of receiving an invoice does not count towards the time limit for seeking review.
If the last day of this time limit is a Saturday, a Sunday or other Finnish public holiday, the 1st of May, Midsummer's Eve, or the 6th or 24th of December, then your correction claim may reach the authority on the first ordinary weekday after that day.
The correction claim must state your name, personal identity code and contact details, the number of the invoice concerned, the charge that you are requesting and the reasons for the request.
Include any documents that you are relying on, unless you have already provided them earlier.
You must also state the name and contact details of any legal representative or counsel who is acting on your behalf, or of any other person who prepared your written correction claim.
The correction claim must be addressed to Board of the Pohjois-Pohjanmaan sairaanhoitopiiri and set to Registry office (Kirjaamo), P.O. Box 10, FI-90029 OYS. E-mail: kirjaamo(at)ppshp.fi. Street address: Kajaanintie 50, Oulu.
There is no charge for processing a correction claim. There is no right of complaint regarding a bill adjusted on the basis of the ability to pay. You may not seek review of an invoice by appealing to a court of law.