SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Minnesota Oncology has received re-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 three-year certification for outpatient hematology-oncology practices that meet nationally recognized standards for quality cancer care.

“We are proud to be QOPI certified which not only recognizes the high quality care our organization strives to provide to every patient that steps in our door but also highlights the team work and investment of every individual that works in our organization to provide exceptional care,” said Rajini Katipamula-Malisetti, MD.

Minnesota Oncology first achieved certification in December 2014. In applying for re-certification, Minnesota Oncology 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.

“QOPI Certification is awarded to oncology practices that have made an extraordinary commitment to going above and beyond in the provision of high-quality cancer care,” said Immediate Past Board Chair of the Association Howard A. “Skip” Burris III, MD, FACP, FASCO. “A practice that achieves this certification is continuously tracking and analyzing data to evaluate and improve processes leading to the highest-quality cancer care possible for our patients.”

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 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 the program was expanded internationally. The QOPI^® Certification Program seal designates those practices that not only scored above the threshold on the key QOPI^® quality measures, but met chemotherapy safety standards established by the Society 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 task force 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 Minnesota Oncology

Minnesota Oncology is an independent, community-based cancer care practice providing patient-centered, evidence-based treatment in the Twin Cities metro area. Minnesota Oncology patients have access to more than 100 cancer care experts, evidence-based treatment paths, clinical trials, 12 close-to-home locations and comprehensive services to support the whole person.

Minnesota Oncology is a practice in The US Oncology Network (The Network). The practices in The Network comprise more than 1,380 independent physicians dedicated to delivering value-based, integrated care to patients — close to home. Through The Network, these independent doctors come together to form a community of shared expertise and resources dedicated to advancing local cancer care and to delivering better patient outcomes. The Network is supported by McKesson Corporation, whose coordinated resources and infrastructure allow doctors in The Network to focus on the health of their patients, while McKesson focuses on the health of their practices. Minnesota Oncology also participates in clinical trials through US Oncology Research, which has played a role in more than 100 FDA-approved cancer therapies.

About the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the Association for Clinical Oncology

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (the Society) and the Association for Clinical Oncology (the Association) are committed to making a world of difference in cancer care. The Society and the Association represent nearly 45,000 oncology professionals who care for people living with cancer. Through research, education, and promotion of the highest-quality 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, affordable care; that the cancer care delivery system supports oncology providers in their delivery of optimal cancer care; and that our nation supports federal funding for cancer research as well as efforts centered on cancer prevention, drug development, and clinical trials. 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.