THE NUMBER of international practices certified in delivering high-quality cancer care based on rigorous standards established by ASCO is increasing. The Medisprof Cancer Center in Romania joins six other practices in Brazil, Greece, and Spain in achieving ASCO’s Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI®) Certification.
The Medisprof Cancer Center, located in Cluj, Romania, is an outpatient hematology-oncology practice. The center completed the voluntary quality assessment survey at its practice earlier this year; achieved ASCO’s standards for quality cancer care delivery; and earned its QOPI certification, which will remain in effect for 3 years.
QOPI is a voluntary self-assessment program that helps oncology practices to assess and improve the quality of the care they provide to patients. More than 750 oncology practices have registered for QOPI, including the international practices from the 4 countries identified previously.
The QOPI Certification Program, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of ASCO that began in 2010, recognizes the delivery of high-quality care to patients in outpatient hematology-oncology practices. The QOPI Certification Standards serve as the framework for the program and as a guide to the best practices in oncology care. Individual practices are eligible to receive QOPI Certification based on their compliance with QOPI standards as assessed during an on-site survey. The QOPI quality standards address practice performance in several key areas, 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 given, including adherence, toxicity, and complications
More than 300 practices worldwide have current QOPI® Certification.
In June 2016, ASCO announced that the Contemporary Oncology Team of Athens, Greece, had become the first international practice to receive QOPI Certification. In April 2017, ASCO announced that Instituto de Oncologia do Vale had become the first practice in Brazil to receive QOPI Certification. Five months later, three practices in Spain achieved QOPI Certification.
ASCO is dedicated to innovative quality improvement programs, such as QOPI and QOPI Certification, to foster the delivery of high-quality patient care around the world. Learn more at practice.asco.org. ■
© 2018. American Society of Clinical Oncology. All rights reserved.
