Grady Health System Cancer Center Receives Recognition for High-Quality Cancer Care from Largest Oncology Society in United States

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Aug 13, 2018, 14:00 ET

ATLANTA, Aug. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Georgia Cancer Center for Excellence at Grady Health System 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^®).

"This achievement is affirmation of our commitment to excellence," said Dr. Roland Matthews, medical director, Georgia Cancer Center for Excellence at Grady Health System. "Our dedicated team of clinicians and staff go the extra mile to achieve the best possible outcome for every patient."

In applying for certification, Grady 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 Grady Health System

Grady Health System is one of the largest safety net health systems in the United States. Grady consists of the 953-bed Grady Memorial Hospital, six neighborhood health centers, Crestview Health & Rehabilitation Center, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Hughes Spalding, which is operated as a Children's affiliate.

With its nationally acclaimed emergency medical services, Grady has Atlanta's premier Level I trauma center - Metro Atlanta's only nationally verified Level 1 center - and serves as the 911 ambulance provider for the city of Atlanta. Grady's American Burn Association/American College of Surgeons verified Burn Center is one of only two in the state. And the Marcus Stroke and Neuroscience Center is a Joint Commission designated Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center.

Other key services/distinctions include Grady's Regional Perinatal Center with its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Georgia's first Cancer Center for Excellence, The Avon Comprehensive Breast Center, the Georgia Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center, and the Ponce de Leon Center - one of the top HIV/AIDS outpatient clinics in the country. Grady is one of an elite group of hospitals to earn the Baby-Friendly USA international recognition as a Baby-Friendly Designated birth facility. In 2017, Grady earned the prestigious Stage 7 on the HIMSS Analytics Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model, becoming Georgia's first adult acute care hospital to earn the highest rating for improving patient care and safety through health information technology.

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.

SOURCE Grady Health System