Published on March 7, 2023
Read Time: 4 Minutes
ROLLA, Mo. – The Phelps Health Delbert Day Cancer Institute (DDCI) has received 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 3-year certification for outpatient hematology-oncology practices that meet nationally recognized standards for quality cancer care.
“We are extremely honored to receive this certification from the Association. Earning this certification affirms our commitment to providing high-quality, accessible cancer care to our patients,” said Phelps Health DDCI Director Rhonda Teague.
To achieve certification, the Phelps Health DDCI participated in a voluntary comprehensive site assessment and successfully met clearly specified standards and objectives of the QOPI Certification Program.
“Practices that choose to become QOPI certified are demonstrating their commitment to high-quality cancer care,” said Board Chair of the Association Lori J. Pierce, MD, FASTRO, FASCO. “A practice that achieves this certification is actively taking steps to provide high-quality, equitable cancer care.”
The Phelps Health DDCI is the only QOPI certified facility within a 90-mile radius of Rolla.
The QOPI® Certification Program, LLC was launched in January 2010, and over 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.
Practices that are QOPI® Certified 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 the Society and the Oncology Nursing Society.
To become QOPI® Certified, practices submit to an evaluation of their entire practice and documentation standards. QOPI® Certification Program staff and volunteer committee members conduct an on-site survey, verify that the evaluation and documents are correct, and determine if practices meet core standards in the following areas of treatment:
- 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
For more information on QOPI Certification and all of ASCO’s innovative quality improvement programs, please visit: https://practice.asco.org/quality-improvement/quality-programs.
About Phelps Health
Phelps Health serves over 200,000 residents in south-central Missouri. Phelps Health is county-owned, non-tax supported and is overseen by a five-member elected board. Phelps Health employs more than 1,900 people, including 100-plus providers. Phelps Health, which includes a hospital licensed for 242 patient beds, serves a six-county area, with its main campus and several clinics located in Rolla, Missouri. Phelps Health also has clinics in Salem, St. James, Vienna and Waynesville, Missouri. For more information, visit phelpshealth.org.
About the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the Association for Clinical Oncology
The American Society of Clinical Oncology, Inc. (the Society) and the Association for Clinical Oncology (the Association) are committed to the principle that knowledge conquers cancer and represent nearly 45,000 oncology professionals who care for people living with cancer. Through research, education and promotion of high-quality, equitable 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, equitable care; that the cancer care delivery system supports optimal cancer care; and that our nation supports robust federal funding for research on the prevention, screening, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. 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.
