Stages of Cross-border Healthcare

Stages of Cross-border Healthcare Estonia

1. Book a consultation

Consultants will advise and guide you to make your experience as easy and smooth as possible and help you access cross-border care at Aurora Clinic.

2. If you wish, you can apply for prior authorization from Kela

You can apply for prior authorization under EU regulation (S2 form) for treatment in an EU or EEA country. If you are granted prior authorization, you pay the same amount for treatment as local residents. Your welfare area pays the remaining treatment costs. Agree on practical matters with the healthcare provider and verify in advance that the provider accepts the prior authorization.

Read how to apply for prior authorization

Kela always grants prior authorization if these conditions are met

your need for treatment is medically justified
you would be entitled to the treatment in public healthcare in Finland
Finnish public healthcare cannot arrange your treatment within the care guarantee period (care guarantee is six months)

Prior authorization may be denied if

The treatment is not organized or provided in Finnish public healthcare.
Public healthcare can arrange the treatment or equivalent treatment in Finland within the care guarantee period.

Monitoring the Care Guarantee

The welfare area must publish information on waiting times for non-urgent care monthly for primary healthcare and every four months for specialized healthcare on their website. Information about waiting times is available from health centers and hospitals. Usually, the information is published on the units’ websites.

The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) collects information about access to care from the healthcare field.

3. Submit the required patient documents to Aurora Clinic

Referral to specialized care - sending instructions

By email:
info@auroraclinic.ee

Or by mail:
Aurora Clinic
Alma Tomingas Building
Sepise 7
Tallinna

You can print the information from the Omakanta service.

Additional information - when seeking treatment without prior authorization

When seeking treatment without prior authorization, you first pay all treatment costs yourself. Apply for reimbursement from Kela within 6 months of paying for the treatment. You will receive compensation up to the amount that equivalent treatment would have cost in your welfare area in Finland.

We will request the necessary information from your welfare area. The prerequisite for reimbursement is that the treatment has been assessed as medically necessary and the provided treatment is included in the Finnish healthcare service selection. The treatment must correspond to treatment you would have received in Finnish public healthcare.

You need a referral for treatment if a referral would be required for equivalent treatment in Finnish public healthcare.

4. The surgeon will contact you after receiving the patient documents

The surgeon will agree on the procedure with the client. The surgeon will also request additional information if needed.

5. You can book a new consultation appointment if desired

If needed, you can go through the travel plan and checklist with the consultant (what to remember before surgery, travel instructions, etc.).

6. Take the prior authorization form sent by Kela with you on your trip

7. You pay the local client fee for the treatment

You can apply for reimbursement from Kela afterwards for travel, medicines, and accommodation. In some situations, you can also apply for reimbursement for companion expenses.

8. You will receive all patient documents concerning your treatment to take back to Finland

How to request prior authorization

a) Apply for prior authorization from Kela. Kela grants permission if public healthcare supports it.

Fill in the application form “Permission to receive treatment outside the country of residence” SV 129 (pdf). Save the empty form to your device. Do not fill in the application directly in the browser, as some information may not be saved. Open the form in Adobe Reader and fill it in. Save the completed application to your device. The application must be in pdf format.

b) Submit the application in OmaKela

Log in to OmaKela. Go to Make Application. Select Medical care, dental care, travel and medicines. When you submit the application in OmaKela, it doesn’t need to be signed. Send attachments in OmaKela after submitting the application. If the attachment is on paper, you can take a photo of it.

Required attachment: medical statement concerning your illness or treatment (e.g., treatment record or doctor’s statement).

c) You can view the written decision in OmaKela. You will also receive the decision by mail at home if you haven’t opted out of paper mail. If you cannot use OmaKela, mail the application to Kela.

Instructions for mailing the application to Kela

If you cannot use OmaKela, mail the application to Kela. Save the application "Permission to receive treatment outside the country of residence" SV 129 (pdf) to your device and fill it in after saving. Send the printed form and attachments to:

Kela
International Affairs Centre
PL 78
00381 Helsinki