"HTA to support health care decisions".

History and structure
The Finnish Office for Health Technology Assessment, FinOHTA, was established in 1995 within the National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health (STAKES). STAKES is subordinated to and financed by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. FinOHTA's office comprises 18 persons, supported by 6 permanent consultants. A tight and far-reaching collaboration network consists of a 10-member Scientific Committee, a 28-member Advisory Board, an Expert Network with over 60 members, and a number of researchers involved in projects supported by FinOHTA.

Mission
The goal is to promote the effectiveness of Finnish health care. FinOHTA concentrates on technologies that deal with major health problems or are of economic importance for the country.

How FinOHTA works
FinOHTA has two main modes of operation:

1. It acts as a national clearinghouse for healthcare technology assessments (international and domestic).
2. It promotes national HTA research by funding studies which meet "good assessment" criteria.

The main principle in all activities is close co-operation with the healthcare profession and different organizational entities in the healthcare sector and related sectors.

Dissemination activities
FinOHTA disseminates information on healthcare technology assessments to healthcare professionals, decision makers, and the general public. FinOHTA publishes a newsletter called "Impakti" and has a website www.stakes.fi/finohta. FinOHTA also disseminates Finnish translations of foreign assessment abstracts as leaflets called "Arviointiseloste, (Assessment Brief)".

Furthermore, the staff of FinOHTA submits articles to professional journals, and organizes meetings, conferences, and courses.

Current projects (a selection)

• Cost effectiveness analysis of evidence-based Finnish guidelines for antihypertensive interventions: A Markov model approach 
• Effectiveness of rehabilitation for child with CP-syndrome 
• Mikstra - antimicrobial treatment strategies - primary research 
• Cost-effectiveness of glaucoma screening 
• Diagnosing and managing obstructive sleep apnea syndrome 
• Early assessment of new interventional procedures
• Implementation of the current care guidelines 
• Shoulder impingement syndrome 
• Genomics to combat resistance against antibiotics in community acquired LRTI in Europe (GRACE) 
• Antibiotics for acute maxillary sinusitis in adults
• Sclerotherapy for leg varicose veins 
• EUnetHTA.
  

Future plans

• To support relevant national assessment studies
• To emphasize the implementation of assessment results in practice
• To monitor changes in current practices
• To increase international collaboration.