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In a noteworthy quality improvement initiative, Advocate Health and Hospitals Corporation/Advocate Medical Group in Illinois has achieved a regional Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI®) certification.
In a noteworthy quality improvement (QI) initiative, Advocate Health and Hospitals Corporation/Advocate Medical Group in Illinois has achieved a regional Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI®) certification. Launched by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the QOPI program provides a 3-year certification recognizing high-quality care for outpatient hematology-oncology practices in the United States. Many individual practices pursue this certification; however, it is notably difficult to achieve the standardization necessary for a regional certification as Advocate Medical Group achieved in 2023. All certification requirements were met successfully, and perfect survey scores were obtained across all 22 standards; further, quality standards were surpassed in the areas of electronic medical record (EMR) documentation, chemotherapy dose checks, and management/administration of intrathecal chemotherapy.
Advocate Medical Group’s journey to regional QOPI certification involved 13 distinct practice sites, 9 of which have embedded infusion centers. Whereas sites had individually received previous QOPI certification, Advocate Medical Group aimed to elevate and standardize high-quality cancer care delivery by achieving a regional certification encompassing all 13 clinic sites. Adding to the complexity of this endeavor was the geographical spread of individual clinic sites from inner-city Chicago to the Wisconsin-Illinois state line. The patient populations served by these hematology-oncology practices were extremely diverse and ranged from suburban, middle-class individuals to more rural and socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. Despite these challenges, Advocate Medical Group resolved to standardize care delivery and meet the unique needs of their diverse patient populations. Each patient served by Advocate Medical Group would experience a similar care pathway, receive the same resources for patient/caregiver education, and be documented within the EMR in a standardized, scalable fashion.
Achieving the regional QOPI certification required a complete reorganization of long-standing operational structures. Beginning with the end in mind, collaborative and cross-functional goals included the following:
When asked what advice she would give to other multisite cancer programs looking to establish regional QOPI certification, Advocate Medical Group’s Connie Kocourek, RN, BSN, OCN, suggested the following:
As a senior quality improvement coordinator, for Advocate Health, Kocourek joined the core workgroup in gaining consensus and buy-in, communicating the vision for and reasons behind the regional QOPI certification, and ultimately aligning the processes needed to confirm compliance with quality standards and ensure survey readiness. The journey to QOPI certification has set a new regional standard for oncology care; it proves that with dedication, collaboration, and innovation, cancer care programs can attain remarkable quality improvement outcomes for the patients they serve. Eager to share her organization’s success, Kocourek expressed willingness to communicate with other cancer programs looking to pursue QOPI certification. She can be reached at connie.kocourek@aah.org.
ACCC Oncology Practice Transformation and Integration Center
