In a three-year experiment conducted by the Social Insurance Institution of Finland and the City of Turku, ten general practitioners working in municipal health centres were given the possibility to send their patients to a private specialist for consultation (at a reduced cost to the patient) rather than referring them to a hospital outpatient clinic.

The main aim of this study is to examine the effects of the experiment. The referral rate increased slightly from 5.7% to 6.8%.

Of all referrals to specialists, the share of referrals to the private sector increased from 5% to 35%, while the share of referrals to hospital outpatient clinics decreased. Participating general practitioners and specialist consultants expressed satisfaction with the experiment.