The Reasons Behind the Rankings
Why do we pursue certifications and rankings? It’s not about the recognition. We do it so you can be sure you’re receiving the best care possible and have confidence we’re meeting the highest standards for quality and safety. That’s why we participate in patient surveys and professional assessments that measure our performance.
We’re also committed to letting you in on the results. A few months ago, we shared the news that Press Ganey had ranked us in the top 1% nationally for patient experience, not once, but twice. Today, we’re happy to announce that we’ve achieved QOPI® recertification, recognizing that we continue to meet rigorous national standards for quality of care and patient safety.
What is QOPI certification?
QOPI stands for Quality Oncology Practice Initiative. It’s a self-assessment and improvement program that helps cancer (medical oncology and hematology-oncology) practices assess the quality of the care they provide to patients. The program was launched in 2006 by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the largest oncology society in the United States.
The QOPI Certification Program (QCP) is the first program of its kind for oncology in the country. Participation is purely voluntary. In order to apply for certification, you must score at least 75% on key quality measures. Our overall score was 94%. Not only did we score above the threshold on the key measures, we also met chemotherapy safety standards established by ASCO and the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS).
“ASCO’s QOPI certification recognizes those oncology practices that are committed to delivering the highest quality of cancer care,” said ASCO President Daniel F. Hayes, MD, FASCO. “By achieving recertification, these practices have demonstrated their commitment to quality and safety excellence in the care they deliver to patients, as well as to the continuous process of quality improvement.”
How did The Ghosh Center qualify?
To become certified, we must submit to an evaluation of our entire practice and documentation standards. The QCP staff and steering group members then verify through on-site inspection that the evaluation and documents are correct and that The Ghosh Center meets core standards in 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.
In addition, QOPI analyzes data from individual practices and compares this date to more than 160 evidence-based and consensus quality measures. They provide this information to us so we can compare our performance to other practices across the country and identify areas for improvement.
How long has The Ghosh Center held this certification?
We first achieved QOPI certification in 2014. QCP provides a three-year certification to high-performing practices and requires ongoing participation in the QOPI® program throughout the three-year term.
To maintain our standing and earn recertification, we undergo an on-site review and peer review by a select team of oncology professionals, such as physicians and nurses, at least once every three years. Our performance is evaluated in areas that affect patient care and safety through an assessment of our processes and policies, as well as interviews with our staff.