Cancer Care Specialists of Illinois Re-Certified for High-Quality Cancer Care from the Largest Oncology Association in United States
Decatur, IL – Cancer Care Specialists of Illinois has received re-certification by the QOPI® Certification Program, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Association for Clinical Oncology (the Association) and an affiliate of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (the Society). The QOPI® Certification Program builds on the Society’s Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI®), providing a three-year certification for outpatient hematology-oncology practices that meet nationally recognized standards for quality cancer care.
“We’re very proud of our Cancer Care Specialists team for achieving this QOPI re-certification from the Association. Our practitioners, nurses and infusion services pharmacy staff are all committed to providing high-quality care for our patients,” said Dr. Justin Floyd, president of CCSI. “We are excited for our local communities, patients, and their families as QOPI certification really does provide assurance of a level of quality and excellence in cancer care that they can count on.”
Cancer Care Specialists of Illinois first achieved certification in September 2012. In applying for re-certification, Cancer Care Specialists of Illinois 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.
“Practices that re-certify demonstrate passion for quality care,” said Association Chair Monica M. Bertagnolli, MD, FACS, FASCO. “By opting to dedicate time and resources toward this certification, they exemplify what all providers should strive for, in not just meeting guidelines and standards, but exceeding them.”
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 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 the program was expanded internationally. The QOPI® Certification Program seal designates those practices that not only scored above the threshold on the key QOPI® quality measures, but met chemotherapy safety standards established by the Society 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 task force 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 Cancer Care Specialists of Illinois
Cancer Care Specialists of Illinois (CCSI) is an interdisciplinary group of 20 physicians and five mid-level practitioners dedicated to providing quality medical oncology, hematology and radiation oncology services. CCSI’s excellent team of physicians and staff provide award winning, personalized care – close to home at 21 locations in central and southern Illinois, including St. Louis Metro East. CCSI is an Oncology Care Model (OCM) practice and participates in the American Society of Clinical Oncology Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI) program. CCSI is affiliated with several National Cancer Institute supported research organizations which provide advanced research and treatment opportunities. CCSI has twice been awarded the Clinical Trials Participation Award by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, a rare distinction recognizing research and quality excellence achieved by only a few practices nationwide. In addition, the National Cancer Institute has granted more than 15 individual awards for research excellence to CCSI physicians, a recognition not achieved by any other practice in Southern Illinois. For more information, visit www.CancerCareSpecialists.org (Twitter @CancerCareIL, Facebook.com/ccsci/).
About the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the Association for Clinical Oncology
The American Society of Clinical Oncology (the Society) and the Association for Clinical Oncology (the Association) are committed to making a world of difference in cancer care. The Society and the Association represent nearly 45,000 oncology professionals who care for people living with cancer. Through research, education, and promotion of the highest-quality patient care, the Society works to conquer cancer and create a world where cancer is prevented or cured, and every survivor is healthy. The Association works to ensure that all individuals with cancer have access to high-quality, affordable care; that the cancer care delivery system supports oncology providers in their delivery of optimal cancer care; and that our nation supports federal funding for cancer research as well as efforts centered on cancer prevention, drug development, and clinical trials. Learn more about the Society at www.ASCO.org, explore patient education resources at www.Cancer.Net, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube. Learn more about the Association at www.ascoassociation.org and follow us on Twitter.
About QOPI Certification Program LLC
QOPI® Certification Program, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Association for Clinical Oncology (the Association) and an affiliate of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (the Society), is 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 the Society and the Oncology Nursing Society in various areas of treatment and chemotherapy safety.
