New rules for treating heart disease in Poland. KSK will make life easier for patients.
- The National Health Fund received a total of 8 protests regarding the qualification of centers to the National Cardiology Network, one of which was withdrawn by the entity filing the protest
- - The protests concerned the lack of qualifications for the National Health Fund (KSK) or qualifications for an inappropriate level of KSK security - said Paweł Florek, director of the National Health Fund's Communication Office
- Because the appeals process is ongoing, the National Health Fund is not disclosing which entities filed the appeal. This information, along with any final decisions, is expected around August 25th.
- "The number of protests is negligible. Cardiology centers have three years to fully comply with the requirements, until the second qualification for the National Cardiology Center," emphasizes Prof. Krystian Wita, regional consultant in cardiology.
The qualification of centers for the National Cardiology Network lasted until July 18. The list of KSK centers is valid from July 19, 2025, to July 19, 2028.
Even during the commenting phase of the draft regulation by the Minister of Health outlining detailed criteria for KSK qualification, some entities, as we have written in detail, expressed doubts regarding the interpretation of the regulations. This suggested that centers might protest regarding KSK qualifications.
The National Cardiology Network Act provides for the possibility of filing a protest regarding the qualification results. This can be done within 14 days from the date the list becomes effective, i.e., July 19, 2025. The deadline expired on August 2.
As Paweł Florek, director of the Office of Social Communication and Promotion of the National Health Fund, told Rynek Zdrowia, the National Health Fund received a total of 8 protests regarding qualifications for the National Cardiology Network, and one of them was withdrawn by the entity filing the protest.
- The protests concerned the lack of qualifications for the KSK or qualifications for an inappropriate level of KSK security - said Director Paweł Florek.
Pursuant to the Act on the National Health Fund, the President of the National Health Fund has 21 days from the date of receipt of the protest to issue a decision on whether to uphold the protest or refuse to uphold it.
"Because this procedure is ongoing, we are not disclosing which facilities have filed protests. We will do so after the appeal process is completed," the National Health Fund (NFZ) announced. Information on the final decisions is expected around August 25th.
The conditions for qualifying a healthcare entity for a given level of KSK cardiological care provision are compliance with the criteria specified in the regulation of the Minister of Health.
These are:
- number and qualifications of medical staff;
- diagnostic and therapeutic potential, including the existing organizational units and the organization of service provision, ensuring appropriate quality and safety of the healthcare services provided;
- type of medical procedures performed.
As Prof. Krystian Wita, Silesian Voivodeship Consultant in the Department of Cardiology, who was a member of the National Cardiology Council (this body will soon be replaced by the National Cardiology Council - ed.), tells Rynek Zdrowia, the number of eight protests filed by centers that were subject to the KSK qualification procedure proves that the qualification criteria were described substantively and transparently.
- The number of protests is negligible - he assesses.
"The National Cardiology Network Act and the criteria for initial qualification of centers for the network have been defined so that facilities providing cardiology services can join the network from the outset. If necessary, they have three years to fully comply with the requirements, until the second qualification ," notes Prof. Krystian Wita.
Three levels of security will be built in KSK:
1. At the first level (OK I), patients are to be provided with basic cardiological diagnostics and treatment. This level includes, among others, AOS clinics and district hospitals with internal medicine departments that also treat cardiology patients (approximately 600 centers).
2. The second level (OK II) will provide coordination and continuity of cardiac care, including comprehensive cardiac diagnostics, cardiac treatment, including interventional cardiology and treatment of acute coronary syndromes, and access to cardiac rehabilitation. This level will house centers with: a hemodynamics laboratory or interventional radiology laboratory; a cardiac rehabilitation department; and those operating a day center or a day cardiac rehabilitation unit (approximately 150 centers).
3. At the third level (OK III), coordination and continuity of cardiological care will be ensured and the most complex medical procedures will be carried out, e.g. in the field of cardiac surgery.
Full launch of KSK - in 2 yearsThe National Cardiology Network is being implemented under the Act on the National Cardiology Network (KSK), which is an implementation of the reform included in the National Plan for Recovery and Increasing Resilience (KPO).
It envisages the nationwide implementation of a new model for organizing cardiac care, which is intended to improve the effectiveness of treating cardiovascular diseases. Every patient, regardless of their place of residence, will receive cardiac care based on uniform standards described in the treatment pathways for patients with specific cardiac conditions. Coordinators will guide patients through each stage of treatment.
The quality of treatment will be measured and verified. Centers that fail to meet specific indicators of the quality of cardiac care will be excluded from the National Cardiac Care System.
The full implementation of the Act is contingent on the functioning of the electronic Cardiac Care Card (e-KOK), which will be issued to the patient by a primary care physician or a physician providing healthcare services as part of outpatient specialist care, hospital services or health programs.
The e-KOK Card will be accessible at every stage of treatment. This will allow physicians to access the patient's complete medical data, which will accelerate and significantly facilitate the proper treatment process. The e-KOK Card will contain data on cardiological diagnostics, diagnosis, calculations of quality indicators for cardiological care, and cardiological treatment, among other things.
The KSK Act (in force from 2 July 2025 – ed.) stipulates that the KSK system will be launched within 24 months from the date of entry into force of the Act.
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