Use of Illness-Related Ambulatory Physician Services in Finland

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Abstract
The total utilization rate of ambulatory illness-related physician services in Finland is higher in big urban health center areas than in rural areas. When only the health center physician utilization rates were studied the finding was opposite. A notable finding related to the impact of the national health planning were the surprisingly equal average utilization rates of public sector health services (health center physician and general hospital outpatient services combined) in both areas. In fact, use of cheaper public services was greater in rural than in urban areas. The difference in total use rates was almost entirely due to the larger use of more expensive private physician services in urban areas. At present, there is a great pressure for increasing the supply of health center services in urban areas to the same level as in rural districts. One of the fundamental questions seems to be the pricing of the two service sectors--public and private.

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