Certified Colorectal Cancer Centers A Contribution To Improving Quality Of Care

Background and objective. The discussion about quality of care is omnipresent. The complexity of measuring this is sometimes lost sight of. The article aims to provide an overview of the characteristics of colorectal cancer centers (CCC) that are relevant for the quality of care.Results. Analyzes of both the data collected in the certification system and data from third parties (German Federal Statistical Office, cancer registries, statutory health insurance companies) provide an increasing number of indications for a higher quality of care in CCC compared to care outside this system.Conclusion. By embedding the certification system of colorectal cancer centers in the quality cycle of oncology and the three-tier model of oncological care, quality of care has developed positively. This was made possible by treatment in interdisciplinary networks on the basis of evidence-based guidelines and by the establishment and systematic application of quality indicators. In addition, the participation of colorectal cancer centers in high-quality studies and their work in collecting patient-reported outcomes (PROs) has contributed to development of quality-relevant instruments.