Karmanos Morey Cancer Center has been recognized by the QOPI® Certification Program LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Inc. (ASCO®), as successfully completing a three-year certification program for outpatient hematology-oncology practices that meet nationally recognized standards for quality cancer care. The QOPI® Certification Program builds on ASCO’s Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI®).
“We are extremely proud of this recognition, knowing all of the hard work and dedication that went into this certification, said Nancy King, Director of Karmanos Morey Cancer Center. “Our physicians and staff members are dedicated to providing the highest quality of care to our patients. Our thanks to each of them for always “Doing What’s Best” for our patients.”
In applying for certification, Karmanos Morey Cancer Center participated in a voluntary comprehensive site assessment against clearly specified standards that are consistent with national guidelines and was successful in meeting the standards and objectives of the QOPI® Certification Program.
“By choosing to go through and then successfully completing ASCO’s QOPI® Certification process, a practice demonstrates its dedication to providing high-quality care to patients with cancer,” said ASCO President Monica M. Bertagnolli, MD, FACS, FASCO. “It is a concrete action a practice has taken to fully realize a commitment to quality, safety, and continual process improvement.”
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. More than 750 oncology practices have registered for QOPI®.
The QOPI® Certification Program, LLC 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 in 2016 was expanded internationally. The QOPI® Certification Program seal designates those practices that successfully met the standards and objectives of the QOPI® Certification Program, which includes scoring above the threshold on the key QOPI® quality measures and meeting chemotherapy safety standards established by ASCO and the Oncology Nursing Society.
QOPI® analyzes individual practice data and compares these to more than 170 evidence-based and consensus quality measures. The information is then provided in reports to participating practices. Individual practices also are able to compare their performance to data from other practices across the country. Based on this feedback, doctors and practices can identify areas for improvement.
To become QOPI® Certified, practices have to submit to an evaluation of their entire practice and documentation standards. The QOPI® Certification Program staff and committee members then verify through an on-site survey that the evaluation and documents are correct and that the practices met core standards in areas of treatment, including:
- Creating a safe environment—staffing, competencies, and general policy
- Treatment planning, patient consent, and education
- Ordering, preparing, dispensing, and administering chemotherapy
- Monitoring after chemotherapy is administered, including adherence, toxicity, and complications
- 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® and the QOPI® Certification Program are projects dedicated to innovative quality improvement programs. For more information, please visit: https://practice.asco.org/quality-improvement/quality-programs.
About McLaren Central Michigan
McLaren Central Michigan is a 118-bed acute care hospital located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. It offers a full range of health and wellness services including Primary Care, General Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery, Emergency Medicine and Cancer Services. McLaren Central Michigan is recognized as an accessible and dependable source of quality medical care for residents of Mount Pleasant, Isabella County and central Michigan. In addition to its medical staff of over 50 active physicians, it is affiliated with more than 150 other quality providers. The hospital is one of the region’s largest employers, with approximately 500 employees and another 100 volunteers. Last year, McLaren Central Michigan received the Michigan Peer Review Organization’s (MPRO) 2017 Governor’s Award of Excellence for lowering the risk of infection, effective reporting and measurement for outpatient quality reporting (OQR) and hospital value-based purchasing (HVBP). McLaren Central Michigan also holds The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Hospital Accreditation.
About ASCO:
Founded in 1964, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Inc. (ASCO®) is committed to making a world of difference in cancer care. As the world’s leading organization of its kind, ASCO represents nearly 45,000 oncology professionals who care for people living with cancer. Through research, education, and promotion of the highest-quality patient care, ASCO works to conquer cancer and create a world where cancer is prevented or cured, and every survivor is healthy. ASCO’s Conquer Cancer Foundation supports the Society by funding groundbreaking research and education across cancer’s full continuum. Learn more at www.ASCO.org, explore patient education resources at www.Cancer.Net, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
About QOPI Certification Program LLC
QOPI Certification Program LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Inc. (ASCO®) dedicated to recognizing exemplary commitment to safety and quality in oncology patient care. Practices that have achieved QOPI® Certification have scored well on key QOPI® quality measures and have met chemotherapy safety standards established by ASCO and the Oncology Nursing Society in various areas of treatment and chemotherapy safety.