Saint Francis Hospital Recertified for High-Quality Cancer Care

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Smilow Cancer Hospital at Saint Francis Hospital Cancer Center has received recertification 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 are so proud that Smilow Cancer Hospital at Saint Francis Hospital Cancer Center has been recertified by the Association” said Adam Boruchov, M.D., Medical Director, Smilow Cancer Hospital at Saint Francis Hospital Cancer Center. “We are committed to providing our patients with transformative, healing, high-quality care, and earning this recertification is a tangible representation of that dedication.”

Saint Francis first achieved certification in 2019. In applying for recertification, Saint Francis 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 choose to become QOPI® certified are demonstrating their commitment to high-quality cancer care,” said Lori J. Pierce, M.D., FASTRO, FASCO, Board Chair of the Association. “A practice that achieves this certification is actively taking steps to provide high-quality, equitable cancer care.”

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 was expanded internationally in 2016. Practices that are QOPI® Certified successfully met the standards and objectives of the program, which includes scoring above the threshold on key 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 valuation and documents are correct, and determine if practices meet core standards in the following areas of treatment:

• Creating a safe environment, including staffing, competencies, and general policy
• Staff training and education
• Treatment planning, patient consent, and education
• Ordering, preparing, dispensing, and administering chemotherapy
• Safe chemotherapy administration
• Monitoring after chemotherapy is administered, including adherence, toxicity, and complications
• 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.