Czech Republic

Healthcare System

The Czech Republic operates a compulsory, universal healthcare system based on a social health insurance model. This system provides healthcare services to all citizens and residents, regardless of their financial means or employment status. The healthcare system is primarily funded through payroll taxes, with contributions from both employees and employers, as well as government subsidies.

The healthcare system is managed at the national level by the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic. The country is divided into 14 administrative regions, each with its own Regional Authority, which oversees the implementation of healthcare policies and services within its jurisdiction. Additionally, the Czech Republic has a network of public health insurance funds, with the largest being the General Health Insurance Company (VZP). These insurance funds are responsible for administering and distributing healthcare funds to providers.

The population of the Czech Republic receives a wide range of healthcare benefits through the system, including primary care, specialist care, hospital care, dental care, emergency care, maternity care, preventive services, mental health services, prescription medications, and rehabilitation services. These services are provided to citizens and residents with minimal or no out-of-pocket expenses.

To access healthcare benefits, individuals must be registered with a public health insurance fund and possess a valid health insurance card. Czech citizens are automatically enrolled in the system at birth, while non-citizen residents must register within 90 days of arrival in the country or commencement of employment. Employed individuals and their employers contribute to the system through payroll taxes, while the government covers the contributions for children, students, pensioners, and other vulnerable groups.

The Czech Republic's healthcare system is transitioning towards a more digitized and integrated model. Electronic health records (EHRs) are being implemented across healthcare providers, enabling more efficient access to patient information and better care coordination. The National Registry of Electronic Health Records (NREH) is responsible for the creation, storage, and management of EHRs. Claims data and health registries are also being modernized and digitized to streamline processes, enhance data accuracy, and improve overall healthcare system efficiency.

Administrative or Claims Data

Database: ÚZIS National register of hospitalized patients

Sponsor, manager or home institution: Ústav zdravotnických informací a statistiky ČR.

Primary purpose: To obtain information on the health status of the population and evaluate the activities of individual inpatient facilities and their departments.

Type of information: Data Dictionary: ÚZIS National register of hospitalized patients. More metadata can be found here.

Source of Information: Mandatory reporting from inpatient care medical facilities, excluding spa clinics and sanatoriums, where patient hospitalizations have been terminated.

Data level: Patient level.

Number of Records: Unknown.

Date Range: 1960 onwards.

Cancer Areas of Interest:

Open data access: Data is partially publicly available. Reports can be found here. Information on how to access full database can be found here.

Information/Contact for data request: Contact information can be found here.

Database: National Register of Reimbursed Health Services (NRHZS)

Sponsor, manager or home institution: Ústav zdravotnických informací a statistiky ČR.

Primary purpose: To collect data for the National Register of Paid Health Services, facilitating statistical analysis, healthcare optimization, and supporting scientific research.

Type of information: Variables: National Register of Reimbursed Health Services (NRHZS). More metadata and a data dictionary can be found here.

Source of Information: Health insurance companies (Zdravotní pojišťovna) that provide data to the Register.

Data level: Patient level.

Number of Records: Unknown.

Date Range: Unknown.

Cancer Areas of Interest: Unknown.

Open data access: Data is not publicly available. Reports can be found here. Information on how to access full database can be found here.

Information/Contact for data request: Contact information can be found here.

Registries

Database: ÚZIS National Cancer Registry

Sponsor, manager or home institution: Ústav zdravotnických informací a statistiky ČR.

Primary purpose: To register oncological diseases and monitor their development for statistical overviews, epidemiological studies, and health research.

Type of information: Data Dictionary: Czech Republic's National Cancer Registry. More metadata can be found here.

Source of Information: Healthcare providers who diagnose or treat neoplasms, as well as providers in the fields of pathology and cytology.

Data level: Patient level.

Number of Records: Unknown.

Date Range: 1959 onwards [1].

Cancer Areas of Interest: Unknown.

Open data access: Data is partially publicly available. Reports can be found here. Information on how to access full database can be found here.

Information/Contact for data request: Contact information can be found here.

Database: ÚZIS Cause of Death Register

Sponsor, manager or home institution: Ústav zdravotnických informací a statistiky ČR.

Primary purpose: To collect data on deceased individuals and the circumstances of their death to create mortality and causes of death statistics.

Type of information: Data Dictionary: ÚZIS Cause of Death Register. More metadata can be found here.

Source of Information: Doctors who perform examinations or autopsies of deceased individuals.

Data level: Patient level.

Number of Records: Unknown.

Date Range: Unknown.

Cancer Areas of Interest: Unknown.

Open data access: Data is partially publicly available. Reports can be found here. Information on how to access full database can be found here.

Information/Contact for data request: Contact information can be found here.

Database: Register of Medical Devices

Sponsor, manager or home institution: Coordination Centre for Departmental Medical Information Systems (KSRZIS); Státní ústav pro kontrolu léčiv (SUKL); Ministerstvo zdravotnictví.

Primary purpose: To collect data on registered persons handling medical devices, information on notified medical devices, on certificates issued by notified persons based in the Czech Republic, about adverse events and about safety corrective measures and information about clinical trials.

Type of information: Data dictionary was not found.

Available type of information:

Source of Information: Authorized representatives, importers, distributors, persons engaged in servicing medical devices, sponsors of clinical trials, and Notified Bodies for medical devices who notify the Ministry of Health of their purchases and activities.

Data level: Individual level.

Number of Records: Unknown.

Date Range: 2015 onwards.

Cancer Areas of Interest: Unknown.

Open data access: Data is partially publicly available. Publicly available information can be found here. Information on how to access full database can be found here.

Information/Contact for data request: Contact information can be found here.

Latest Policymaking Initiatives

Compilation: ÚZIS Statistical Outputs

Sponsor, manager or home institution: Ústav zdravotnických informací a statistiky ČR.

Primary purpose:' Provide compilled statistical information based on databases managed by the institute.

Type of information: Reports on cancer incidence, hospitalizations, pharmacy care, medical equipment, among other information.

'Level: National level.

Access to information: Reports can be found here.