North Houston Cancer Clinics has been recognized by the Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI) Certification Program, an affiliate of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). This program provides a three-year certification for outpatient hematology-oncology practices that meet the highest standards for quality cancer care. 

“Cancer patients and their families should expect nothing less than accountability and the highest standards from their cancer care providers,” said Allen E, MD, CEO of ASCO and President of the QOPI Certification Program. “Oncology practices that commit to quality and safety are those that provide the most optimal cancer care. The certification program demonstrates a commitment to excellence and ongoing quality improvement in a medical oncology practice.”  

The Quality Oncology Practice Initiative is a voluntary program that helps oncology practices assess the quality of care they provide to their patients. More than 700 oncology practices have registered in the program. Oncologists achieve certification by demonstrating a medical practice that is consistent with the highest standards of care. The seal of certification identifies those practices that not only score high on the key QOPI quality measures, but also meet the rigorous safety measures established by the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the Oncology Nursing Society.  

“We’re extremely proud to receive this certification from the largest oncology society in United States,” said Doctor Elham Abbasi of North Houston Cancer Clinics. “It underscores our ongoing commitment to our patients and their families.” 

North Houston Cancer Clinics Receives Recognition for Cancer Care from  Largest Oncology Society in United States  

North Houston Cancer Clinics at Huntsville and North Houston Cancer Clinics at The Woodlands, have been recognized by the Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI®) Certification Program, an affiliate of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).  The QOPI® Certification Program provides a three-year certification for outpatient hematology-oncology practices that meet the highest standards for quality cancer care.    “Providing quality cancer care has always been one of our core missions,” said Dr. Elham Abbasi. “The QOPI® Certification Program will allow us to further strengthen our commitment to our patients.”  “QOPI is designed by clinical experts in oncology to give practices the ability to continuously improve the quality of care they provide,” said ASCO President Clifford A. Hudis, MD, FACP. “The QOPI Certification Program helps practices determine whether they are providing the best possible treatment and care to their patients and demonstrates their commitment to excellence and lifelong learning.”  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 the QOPI program, practices abstract data from patients’ records up to twice per year and enter this information into a secure database. More than 850 oncology practices have registered in the QOPI program.    The QOPI® Certification Program (QCP™) was launched in January 2010, with more than 200 practices already certified. This certification for outpatient oncology practices is the first program of its kind for oncology in the United States. Oncologists can achieve certification by meeting the highest standards of care. The QCP seal designates those practices that not only scored high on the key QOPI quality measures, but meet rigorous chemotherapy safety  standards established by ASCO and the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS).     QOPI® analyzes individual practice data and compares these to more than 160 evidence-based and consensus quality measures. The information is then provided in reports to participating practices.  Individual practices are also 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 certified, practices have to submit to an evaluation of their 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 practices met 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.  The QOPI Certification Program is a project of ASCO’s Institute for Quality, an ASCO affiliate dedicated to innovative quality improvement programs. For more information, please visit: http://qopi.asco.org/certification.html.  The North Houston Cancer Clinics was founded in April 2010 by Elham Abbasi M.D. with the vision of creating a medical practice that treats every patient with dignity and first-rate care. We are committed to providing each patient with an exceptional level of care and attention. The nurses and office staff at North Houston Cancer Clinics are highly-trained and exceptionally friendly and work together as a team to provide high-quality comprehensive care. We understand that for many, especially cancer patients visiting a doctor can be a stressful experience. Our comfortable surroundings and compassionate medical professionals will ease your fears. The North Houston cancer clinics is proud to be QOPI Certified which demonstrates a commitment to excellence and ongoing quality improvement in our practice  The North Houston cancer Clinics is conveniently located in Huntsville by Huntsville Hospital, and in The Woodlands by Memorial Herman and St. Lukes Hospital. North Houston Cancer Clinics accepts most major insurance plans. Our friendly staff will be happy to answer any questions you have regarding scheduling. Please call (936) 439-5213 or visit us at www.nhcancerclinics.com   About ASCO: Founded in 1964, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is the world’s leading professional organization representing physicians who care for people with cancer. With nearly 35,000 members, ASCO is committed to improving cancer care through scientific meetings, educational programs and peer-reviewed journals. ASCO is supported by its affiliate organization, the Conquer Cancer Foundation, which funds ground-breaking research and programs that make a tangible difference in the lives of people with cancer.  For ASCO information and resources, visit www.asco.org. Patient-oriented cancer information is available at www.cancer.net.