National Certifications Affirm High Standard of Care Patients Receive at Mary Bird Perkins 

BATON ROUGE, La. – For patients, national recognition matters because it reflects the quality and safety of their care. Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center has earned two prestigious national certifications that reinforce its commitment to delivering the highest standards in cancer treatment. The Cancer Center was re-certified by the Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI) Certification Program and awarded a three-year accreditation in radiation oncology by the American College of Radiology—both affirming that patients receive care that meets rigorous, nationally recognized benchmarks. 

The QOPI Certification Program awards a three-year certification for outpatient hematology-oncology practices that meet nationally-recognized standards for quality cancer care. 

The ACR is the nation’s oldest and most widely accepted radiation oncology accrediting body, with over 700 accredited sites, and 30 years of accreditation experience. Its gold seal of accreditation represents the highest level of quality and patient safety and is awarded only to facilities meeting specific requirements based on practice guidelines and technical standards. 

“At Mary Bird Perkins, every decision we make is guided by the needs of our patients and their families and the trust they place in us during some of the most difficult moments of their lives,” said Jodi Conachen, chief operating officer, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center. “These certifications reflect our unwavering commitment to providing safe, compassionate, and exceptional care—care that is grounded in rigorous standards and continuous improvement. Most importantly, they recognize the dedicated teams who show up every day focused on what matters most: delivering the highest quality care for our patients and their families.” 

The QOPI® Certification Program, LLC was launched in January 2010, and over 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 was expanded internationally. Practices that are QOPI® Certified successfully met the standards and objectives of the QOPI® Certification Program, which includes scoring above the threshold on the key QOPI® quality measures and meeting chemotherapy safety standards established by the Society and the Oncology Nursing Society. 

“When a practice earns QOPI certification, it demonstrates a strong commitment to delivering safe, high quality cancer care,” said Board Chair of the Association Lynn M. Schuchter, MD, FASCO. “For patients, this certification adds confidence that their treatment team continually strives to deliver the best possible care.” 

To become QOPI® Certified, practices submit to an evaluation of their entire practice and documentation standards. QOPI® Certification Program staff and volunteer committee members conduct an on-site survey, verify that the evaluation and documents are correct, and determine if practices meet core standards.  

For more information on QOPI Certification and all of ASCO’s innovative quality improvement programs, please visit: https://society.asco.org/practice-patients/quality-improvement/quality-programs. 

For more information on ACR, visit www.acr.org. 

Learn more about Mary Bird Perkins’ commitment to excellence, and its position as the premier cancer care provider in Louisiana and Southwest Mississippi. Visit marybird.org. 

About Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center 

Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center is Louisiana’s largest cancer care organization and has been leading the fight against cancer for more than 50 years. Founded in Baton Rouge in 1971 by a group of community leaders, the Cancer Center now serves every region of Louisiana and communities across southwest Mississippi. With the most expansive team of highly-trained oncologists leveraging innovative therapies and technologies, Mary Bird Perkins is offering the most personalized treatment options available in the Gulf South. The Cancer Center’s emphasis on community-based care allows patients to access these resources close to home. From early detection through our innovative Prevention on the Go screening and education program, to diagnosis, treatment and life after cancer, Mary Bird Perkins offers a wide array of individualized support services to improve survivorship and lessen the burden of cancer. For more information, visit marybird.org.