Re-organizing primary medical care in Finland: the personal doctor program

Abstract

This article reports the results of an evaluation of the 'Personal Doctor Program' in Finland, a demonstration project to re-structure the primary medical activities of general practitioners within publicly operated health centers. The goal of the personal doctor program is to achieve the clinical advantages and performance incentives of enrolling each citizen on a specific general practitioners's list, but within the broader team-based and demographic responsibility framework of a primary health center. The background and methodology of the project is presented, followed by the methodology and analysis of the evaluation itself. The two key conclusions from this assessment suggest that the personal doctor approach considerably improved the quality of primary medical care within the health center, and that publicly salaried physicians produce at least the same overall value as their privately employed counterparts.