Finland launches its trailblazing Taltioni cooperative amid global interest

The founders of Finland’s innovative new system to provide electronic self-care services officially established a cooperative on 29th March 2012. The 27 organisations from the health and well-being sector created the Taltioni ecosystem as a new type of collaboration between health-care service providers, user organisations and ICT operators. The founders come from both the public and private sector and have committed themselves to promoting the health and well-being of Finns. The concept has already attracted international attention.

“For two years now, Sitra’s Personal Health Records project has facilitated the creation of a shared data deposit and service platform for citizens, health-care organisations and well-being service providers,” says Leading Specialist Tuomas Teuri who heads the Personal Health Records project under Sitra’s Municipal Programme. “The key goals of the project included establishing the Taltioni cooperative, an independent operator that will develop the ecosystem and the related innovative self-care services for citizens.”

Sharing information, promoting health

The Taltioni ecosystem offers organisations an opportunity to develop services rapidly and cost-effectively, while its cooperative promotes an open, balanced ecosystem where small and large operations can coexist and collaborate. Antti Kivela, Executive Director of Sitra’s Municipal Programme, explains further: “Taltioni represents a new type of national concept: health and social care operators in the private, public and third sectors – as well as interested ICT companies – are organised to constitute an independent community. Together, they will set out to develop services for citizens. The concept has already attracted broad international attention.”

At the outset, the cooperative will develop a technological platform and operational environment that will enable its members to offer services to Finns. Through the development work carried out by the members, the Taltioni ecosystem will create new electronic health and well-being services that will help shift the focus in health care from treating diseases to promoting health. For the wider society, this means controlling the increase in the overall cost of health care.

The cooperative is expected to attract a significant number of new members in the near future. The cooperative offers opportunities for private and public health-care operators, well-being service providers, IT companies, patient organisations, sponsors and equipment manufacturers, to name just a few.

Taltioni offers customised tools for health and well-being

• Taltioni is a database and a service platform that enables all Finns to store, collect, produce and share electronic information related to their health and well-being. The data is accessible from various devices and user interfaces, regardless of time and place.
• Information security is Taltioni’s most important feature. Citizens own their information and decide who and which applications are granted access to the data.
• Information collected and combined from different services enables citizens to develop a more comprehensive understanding of their health and the factors affecting it. They will be able to make more health-conscious choices.
• The promotion of health and well-being also benefits society at large. 

Founding members of Taltioni

Active Life Village
BCB Mediacal
EventBrokers EBS
Fujitsu Finland
GreyCrunch
National Pharmaceutical Information Centre KLIK
Kuntien Tiera
Duodecim Medical Publications
Pharmaceutical Information Centre
Mawell
Mediaconsult
Medi-IT
MedIppon
MediWare
Medixine
Mehiläinen
Mylab
Nokia
TinnOff
Pohjola Insurance
Prowellness
Sensorfit
Stompwell
Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities
Terveystalo
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
Vivia

Further information: 

Sitra’s Municipal Programme
Antti Kivelä, Executive Director, tel. +358 40 482 7435, firstname.lastname@sitra.fi
Tuomas Teuri, Leading Specialist, Personal Health Records, tel. +358 40 754 9507, firstname.lastname@sitra.fi

Taltioni cooperative
Janne Ahlström, Chairman of the Board, tel. +358 50 380 8602, firstname.lastname@sitra.fi