Minutes: 12th Working Group on Cancer Care Hub Designation Requirements
Overview
At the 12th Working Group meeting held on July 14, Reiwa 8, the group discussed equalization and centralization of the cancer care delivery system with a view to 2040, revisions to designation requirements based on the interim evaluation of the Fourth Basic Plan for Cancer Control, and a draft outline for revising the guidelines on the development of cancer care hub hospitals and similar facilities. Proposals were presented on surgical and radiation therapy performance, public disclosure, drug therapy and cancer genomic medicine, the roles of prefectural cancer care cooperation councils, consultation support, palliative care, online medical care, and BCP, and the secretariat's proposal was approved. It was decided that the detailed wording would be discussed again with the secretariat, after which the chair would compile the results and report them to the Review Committee on the Future of the Cancer Care Delivery System.
Key points
- The Working Group approved the draft revisions to the designation requirements.
- Equalization and centralization with a view to 2040, together with the interim evaluation, were established as the pillars of the revisions.
- A direction was presented to make annual performance of at least 400 surgical cases and at least 200 radiation therapy patients mandatory requirements.
- A proposal was presented to change the designation period from the current four-year cycle to three years.
Overview
At the meeting held on July 14, Reiwa 8, the Cancer and Disease Control Division of the Health and Living Environment Bureau served as the secretariat, and revisions to the designation requirements and a draft outline for revising the guidelines were discussed.
The revisions were organized mainly around securing a sustainable cancer care delivery system toward 2040 and responding based on the interim evaluation of the Fourth Basic Plan for Cancer Control, with a proposal to leave the system's major framework unchanged.
Impact
Following approval, the chair was expected to compile the discussions and report them to the Review Committee on the Future of the Cancer Care Delivery System, scheduled to meet in July. If the Review Committee conducts its final review and grants approval, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare is expected to issue the result as new development guidelines.
Details
For surgical and radiation therapy, the proposed direction was to make annual performance a mandatory requirement at the time of the Reiwa 11 fiscal-year revision, without using coverage rates as an alternative. The proposal also calls for reporting and public disclosure of treatment performance and the provision of information to prefectural cancer care cooperation councils.
For drug therapy, a direction was presented to make designation as a core hub hospital, etc., for cancer genomic medicine a desirable requirement for hub hospitals and similar facilities in fiscal year Reiwa 8, and a mandatory requirement for cancer care hub hospitals in fiscal year Reiwa 11. A proposal was presented calling on the councils to discuss equalization and centralization, disclose information, and include participation by patient organizations and others.
The draft revisions included basic and specialized palliative care, link nurses, lymphedema, appearance care, fertility preservation therapy, coordination for comorbidities, online medical care, BCP, and reviews of the duties of consultation support centers and coordination within hospitals. The proposed approach was to assign the necessary number of medical personnel according to the size and functions of each facility.