The Saint Agnes Cancer Institute this week received re-certification by the American Society of Clinical Oncology®’s Quality Oncology Practice Initiative QOPI® Certification Program. The QOPI Certification Program builds on ASCO’s QOPI, providing a three-year certification for outpatient hematology-oncology practices that meet nationally recognized standards for quality cancer care.
In applying for re-certification, the Cancer Institute had to again meet the program’s requirements, which includes participating in a voluntary comprehensive site assessment against clearly specified standards that are consistent with national guidelines and being successful in meeting QOPI’s core standards in all areas of treatment, including:
- Treatment planning
- Staff training and education
- Chemotherapy orders and drug preparation
- Patient consent and education
- Safe chemotherapy administration
- Monitoring and assessment of patient well-being
QOPI is a voluntary self-assessment and improvement program launched by ASCO in 2006, to help hematology-oncology and medical oncology practices assess the quality of the care they provide to patients. Through QOPI, practices abstract data from patients’ records up to twice per year and enter this information into a secure database.
The QOPI Certification Program was launched in January 2010, and nearly 300 practices are currently certified. This certification for outpatient oncology practices is the first program of its kind for oncology in the United States, and the program was expanded internationally in 2016. Oncologists can achieve certification by participating in a voluntary comprehensive site assessment against clearly specified standards that are consistent with national guidelines. The QOPI Certification Program seal designates those practices that not only scored above the threshold on the key QOPI quality measures, but also met chemotherapy safety standards established by ASCO and the Oncology Nursing Society.
