Czech Republic

Cancer Centers

Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute

Motol University Hospital

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 information [1].

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: Malignant neoplasms (C00-C97).

Open data access: Partially publicly available [2]. Instructions to request data for restricted content [3].

Information/Contact for data request: Contact information [4].

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: Data Dictionary: National Register of Reimbursed Health Services (NRHZS). More metadata information and a data dictionary [5].

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: Partially publicly available [6]. Instructions to request data for restricted content [7].

Information/Contact for data request: Contact information [8].

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 information [9].

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 [10].

Cancer Areas of Interest: Unknown.

Open data access: Partially publicly available [11]. Mammography [12], colorectal [13] and cervical screenings [14] information. Reports information [15]. Instructions to request data for restricted content [16].

Information/Contact for data request: Contact information [17].

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 information [18].

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: Partially publicly available [19]. Instructions to request data for restricted content [20].

Information/Contact for data request: Contact information [21].

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: The data set includes information about registered individuals in RZPRO and the medical devices they have notified, containing details about the person, the associated activity, and the validity of the device.

Available type of information: Data Dictionary: Register of Medical Devices.

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: Partially publicly available [22]. Instructions to request data for restricted content [23].

Information/Contact for data request: Contact information [24].

Clinical Practices Guidelines

KDP Guidelines

Sponsor, manager or home institution: Agency for Health Research of the Czech Republic (AZV ČR).

Primary purpose: To propose a standardized system for creating and updating KDP (Key Disease Proposals) in the Czech Republic, aiming to improve the availability, quality, and efficiency of health services through the establishment of governing bodies, methodological frameworks, and educational initiatives.

Type of information: Guidelines about diagnoses, treatments, follow up, quality of life measures, prevention and care of many types of cancer.

Access to information: List of guidelines [25].

Cancer-related Patient Associations and Resources

Compilation: ESMO Patient Guides

Sponsor, manager or home institution: European Society for Medical Oncology

Primary purpose: To translate complex medical language into understandable information for patients.

Available guides: Pancreatic Carcinoma.

Type of information: Information on each guide varies for each cancer type. Generally, guides provide definitions, explanations of causes, diagnosis, treatment, treatment options, care after treatment, among others.

Access to information: List of guides [26].

Latest Policymaking Initiatives

Compilation: ÚZIS Statistical Outputs

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

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

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

Data Level: National level.

Access to information: Reports information [27].

Compilation: SVOD Reports

Sponsor, manager or home institution: Ústav zdravotnických informací a statistiky ČR; Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic.

Primary purpose: To offer accessible and comprehensive tumor epidemiology data for users in the Czech Republic and abroad, providing updated information, interactive analyses, and relevant presentations.

Type of information: Cancer incidence, prevalence, and the number of cancer patients treated with anti-tumor therapy; Cancer mortality; Cancer survival.

Data level: National level.

Access to information: Access Information [28].

Report: EU Country Cancer Profile 2023

Sponsor, manager or home institution: OECD and European Commission.

Primary purpose: To provide reliable data on cancer prevention and care, identifying trends, disparities, and inequalities among EU Member States and regions to guide interventions under Europe's Beating Cancer Plan.

Type of information: National cancer burden; Cancer incidence and mortality; Risk factors for cancer; Early detection programs (screenings); Cancer care performance, The impact of COVID-19 on cancer care.

Data level: National level.

Access to information: Access Information [29].

Quality of Life and Palliative Care Research

List of Articles: Quality of Life [30] and Palliative Care [31].