News Bulletin
31.3.2010

An expected change in legislation speeds up the establishment of patient hotels in

FinnMedi Oy aspires to take the patient hotel model to the whole of Finland

The patient hotel model negotiated by FinnMedi Oy, which will be introduced in Tampere, Finland, shows the way for the whole country. The company has been central in a process which led to the establishment of Finland’s first patient hotel next to Tampere University Hospital. Pirkanmaa Hospital District, City of Tampere and its surrounding municipalities favour the plans as a step to improve patient care.

Discussions are under way to change legislation and allow Finns to choose the hospital that treats them more freely in future. This will increase the demand for high-quality accommodation in the immediate proximity to hospitals.

According to Matti Eskola, CEO of FinnMedi Oy, patient hotels reflect the changed relationship between healthcare providers and their customers or patients.

“The patient is no longer a passive receiver of treatment but someone with an active role and whose opinions must be heard and decisions respected. In future, the patient will choose his or her hospital for treatment and this must be taken into consideration. Patient hotels will be an important part of successful treatment and will supplement the healthcare service chain.”

According to the suggested change in legislation, special healthcare patients who do not need urgent treatment can, in future, choose their hospital within their designated Hospital District regardless of their place of residence.

“It’s quite clear that patient hotels will in future be built in other locations as well,” estimates Eskola.

According to plans concerning the Tampere patient hotel, this hotel would be privately funded. There are already dozens of such hotels in other Nordic countries.

The Administrative Medical Director of Pirkanmaa Hospital District, Jaakko Herrala, confirms that both the patient’s freedom of choice and service quality factors support the establishment of patient hotels. In addition, Herrala emphasises that patient hotels also improve patient satisfaction.

”A hotel environment is more pleasant and quiet than a hospital ward, which in itself assists the healing process. Also, the closeness of the hospital gives the patient a feeling of security. The presence and participation of patients' families also has a positive effect on treatment results. For small children, for example, the presence of a parent or a relative is very important. There is no high-quality accommodation near TAYS (Tampere University Hospital) at the moment and this is a serious shortcoming.”

”From the point of view of the patient, a patient hotel increases privacy and the chance for family to stay close by. It also lowers travel costs and the risk of nosocomial infection,” explains Herrala.

Patient hotels support the growth targets set for leading units in healthcare

The location of Finland’s first private patient hotel is not Tampere by chance. FinnMedi Oy is in charge of a national project aimed at developing the Finnish healthcare system into a service provider at an international level.

“Years of background work has been done in Tampere to lay the foundations and, as a result, several strong operators with potential for further growth in the healthcare market have established themselves in the area,” says Eskola. The role of FinnMedi Oy has been to bring all sides together to the negotiating table and speed up the development process.

"It hasn't always been easy, but I suppose creating something new never is. However, it’s very important that there is someone who is in charge and takes things forward systematically,” continues Eskola.

Some leading healthcare units in Tampere are Tekonivelsairaala Coxa, Sydänkeskus Oy and Silmäsairaala (yet to be established). There is a demand for the services of these units both in Finland and abroad. The accommodation facilities provided by the patient hotel strongly support them in reaching their growth targets.

Cutting costs in healthcare by establishing patient hotels

Establishing patient hotels also has a cost-saving effect for local healthcare.

”Every time a bed in a patient hotel is used instead of a bed in a hospital ward, savings are made and hospital wards are used more efficiently. At the moment, beds in wards are constantly full of patients waiting to be discharged or to be treated the next day. When these patients stay in a patient hotel, hospital ward resources are used more efficiently to treat patients who need more immediate attention,” says Eskola.

Local government can buy the services of a patient hotel: it can be less expensive to accommodate a patient in a nearby patient hotel for a couple of days rather than to repeatedly transfer the patient between different healthcare units and pay additional transfer costs.

A patient hotel has been planned to be built in the Finn-Medi premises in Tampere, in the vicinity of TAYS.

For more information, please contact:

Matti Eskola, CEO FinnMedi Oy, tel. +358 405 575 355, matti.eskola(at)finnmedi.com

Jaakko Herrala, Administrative Medical Director, Pirkanmaa Hospital District, tel. +358 503 297 166,jaakko.herrala(at)pshp.fi

Finn-Medi Campus area is a unique pool of expertise in healthcare and biotechnology based in Tampere, Finland. A combination of multi-disciplinary, technological, bio-medical and medical expertise and an efficient operational environment, it gathers experts and services in education, research, healthcare and business. Put together, this expertise and environment make Finn-Medi an attractive entity of research, innovations and business as well as a good target for investors.