PRESQUE ISLE — The Aroostook Medical Center’s Aroostook Cancer Care Center has been recognized nationally by the QOPI Certification Program (QCP), an affiliate of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and is one of only five such certified centers in the state.
 |
|
Contributed photo Staff from TAMC’s Aroostook Cancer Care Center display the plaque designating their achievement of Quality Oncology Practice Initiative certification. They are one of five cancer centers in Maine, and the only rural one, to earn this distinction. Staff who worked diligently to achieve certification include, from left: Dr. Arjun Sood, director of medical oncology; Nancy Cronkite, practice specialist; Lori Bouchard, oncology nurse navigator; Brenda Baker, practice manager; Andrea Labier, medical assistant; Shelly Gagnon, RN; Lori Churchill, health services assistant; Carrie Bretzke, medical assistant; and Dr. Hussain Naseri, medical oncologist. |
“We are proud to be the only rural practice in Maine that is QOPI certified,” said Dr. Arjun Sood, TAMC’s director of medical oncology. “All of the other practices are major cancer centers in bigger cities. I am really proud of my staff, for which this was a major undertaking. This proves our resolve for our quest for better care for our patients.”
QCP builds on the organization’s Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI). To become certified, Aroostook Cancer Care submitted an evaluation of their entire practice and documentation standards. An on-site inspection was conducted, verifying 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.
“This accreditation looks at a lot of measures regarding care of cancer patients, about 190 measures in total,” explained Sood. “A lot of these are process measures, and therefore it ensures that the level of care a patient receives measures up to certain quality. For a patient, this should translate into a higher standard of care as compared to a practice that is not certified.”
The QCP seal of quality is a major achievement for the center, Sood said.
“We are able to provide most common modalities of care that cancer patients need for their therapy. This includes surgical interventions, medical interventions such as chemotherapeutics, biologic agents, and radiation therapy services; we are the only service in The County that has this capability.
“Besides this, we have a palliative care subspecialist who provides symptom management. We actively work with hospice, support groups, and tertiary care centers such as EMMC and Dana-Farber to help our patients provide the widest spectrum of capability in dealing with cancer.”
