Medical Oncology at Hospital Earns Recognition for Cancer Care
The medical oncology division of the Schiffler Cancer Center at Wheeling Hospital has earned a three-year certification for successfully completing a program for outpatient hematology-oncology practices that meet nationally recognized standards for quality cancer care. It is the only hospital in the region to earn the certification.
The recognition comes from the Quality Oncology Practice Initiative certification program, an affiliate of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the largest oncology society in the United States.
“This certification acknowledges our dedication and commitment to providing quality cancer care to the patients of Wheeling and surrounding communities. We are very proud to be recognized for delivering the highest standard of cancer care,” said Amie Matyas, manager of Schiffler’s medical oncology division.
The Wheeling Hospital medical oncologists involved in the certification process were Dr. Lowell Shinn, Dr. Nishant Tageja and Dr. Sue Tobin. In applying for certification, the medical oncology division 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 certification program.
The initiative 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 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 certified, practices have to submit to an evaluation of their entire practice and documentation standards. The certification program’s 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, and monitoring and assessment of patient well-being.
The certification program was launched in January 2010. More than 250 practices are certified currently. This certification for outpatient oncology practices is the first program of its kind for oncology in the United States.
Oncologists can achieve certification by participating in a voluntary comprehensive site assessment against clearly specified standards that are consistent with national guidelines. The seal designates those practices that successfully met the standards and objectives of the certification program, which includes scoring above the threshold on the key quality measures and meeting chemotherapy safety standards established by the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the Oncology Nursing Society.
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