Finland's welfare regions have successfully reined in temporary healthcare staffing costs. The country plans to implement nationwide price caps for temporary doctors and nurses.
Temporary staffing expenses will fall below €400 million this year. That represents a 30% drop from last year's costs.
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health estimates specialist healthcare will spend about €150 million on temporary staff this year. Overall temporary staffing now accounts for just 2-3% of all labor costs.
A new government-funded project will establish maximum rates for temporary medical staff. The initiative takes inspiration from Sweden's existing model.
Project chair Santeri Seppälä said public perception often focuses on temporary doctors earning multiples of permanent staff salaries. But the market has changed significantly since healthcare reorganization.
"We previously had about two hundred service organizers and employers in the public sector. Now we have 23," Seppälä said, referring to welfare regions plus Helsinki and HUS hospital district.
Some regions like South Savo have completely eliminated temporary staff in primary care. They can now rotate doctors between smaller facilities more effectively.
Other regions closed small healthcare stations entirely, reducing their need for temporary doctors.
Specialist care still relies on temporary staff in areas that don't need full-time specialists. Temporary staffing remains highest in primary care proportionally at seven percent.
The project will also address medical students working for temporary agencies. Seppälä noted undergraduate medical student participation in temporary work has already "collapsed."
"The situation is radically different from five years ago when we had undergraduates buying new cars and driving around collecting five-figure salaries," he said.
The cost-control project continues through May next year. It received €600,000 in government funding.
This represents a significant shift from Finland's previous reliance on expensive temporary medical staff. The centralized welfare region system appears to be achieving its cost containment goals.