In regions located farther from Comprehensive Oncology Centers (COCs), access to oncology care may generally be lower. When this is combined with so-called fast-track diagnoses, where time is critical, the patient’s prognosis is at stake. Representatives of the Voice of Oncology Patients toured individual regions to examine the details of the current situation. Their call for changes in the organization of care was heard by the Ministry of Health, and together they introduced a solution in the form of oncology care coordinators. What can we expect from this role, which COCs have been required to implement since January this year?
“Fast-track diagnoses show us that when the pathway is prolonged, it can be quite deadly, or at least life-threatening,” explained Bc. Michaela Tůmová, Vice-Chair of the Voice of Oncology Patients (HOP), why the regional roundtable series “Oncology 2025 – The Path to Health” focused specifically on the organization of oncology care. This initiative followed up on the practical educational series Patient Journey, which now covers all major oncology diagnoses.
According to HOP’s findings, patients are often required to book examinations whose names they cannot even pronounce. Tůmová compared the situation to a car repair shop where one would only be told which spare parts to order.
Representatives of oncology patients share their field experience through the Patient Council of the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic (establishing patient councils will also become mandatory for individual COCs starting in January), where they have found strong support in recent months. The result of the joint dialogue with the Ministry is the creation of the position of oncology care coordinator, who should become part of each COC team, with at least one coordinator per center. In September, a workshop was held at the Ministry of Health with representatives of COCs to facilitate the implementation of this new role.
The Voice of Oncology Patients also launched two accompanying websites. The first helps patients gain an overview similar to that of a coordinator—namely, the waiting times for individual specialized examinations in the patient’s place of residence (“Waiting Lists”). The second monitors the rapid distribution of patients to the required treatment (“Maze”). Within this platform, patients themselves will be able to provide feedback on the accessibility of oncology care in their specific district.
According to RNDr. Marian Rybář, MHA, a statistician from the Department of Health Care at the Ministry of Health—whom Tůmová introduced as the “father” of the new coordinator position—extensive cooperation with patient organizations is a hallmark of a mature healthcare system. He presented the new concept of oncology care organization in the Czech Republic through a set of core principles on which it is based.
According to Rybář, the greatest “gains” can be achieved in the period between suspicion of cancer and the initiation of treatment. This is where the core role of the coordinator lies (the second key element of the concept). The coordinator does not need a healthcare background but must be empathetic, as well as organizationally and communicatively skilled.
“An average Mr. or Mrs. Novák will get lost in the system if no one guides them. The recommended time to reach treatment for lung cancer is eight weeks, which more than 50% of patients in the Czech Republic fail to achieve. According to oncologists’ estimates, however, patients could be guided through the system within days,” says Rybář.
What should the coordinator’s role look like in broad terms? “When a physician in a regional setting identifies a suspicious patient, they should press a red button, and the coordinator should take over the patient—because they are experienced, do this every day, and can guide the patient through the system,” he explains. At the University Hospital in Hradec Králové, a dedicated software tool is even being developed to support the coordinator’s work.
The third presented pillar is the need to shorten waiting times for examinations (if a nearby facility offers the examination with a shorter waiting time, the patient must be referred there, even if they are being treated elsewhere). The fourth pillar is achieving rational decentralization of care—shifting patients whom COCs cannot accommodate into regional facilities, thus freeing COC capacity for the most severe cases.
Finally, quality indicators should help monitor the system’s functionality. However, changes in data become apparent only with a one-year delay, which is why shortcomings may be identified earlier through the aforementioned “Maze” platform.
Editorial Team, Medscope.pro
Source:
Voice of Oncology Patients. Press conference. Prague, November 6, 2025.
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