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Accreditation alternatives to the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO) are not necessarily an either- or proposition. The American Osteopathic Association is seen as more document-driven, while JCAHO focuses on outcomes. Consultants prove invaluable in helping center prepare for Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program survey.

The DRG/OMT [Diagnosis-Related Groups/Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment] Master Matrix is a tabulated guideline for helping osteopathic physicians and hospitals document their unique form of health-care. The DRG/OMT Master Matrix is a quality management tool designed for osteopathic physician care of hospitalized patients. It furnishes a mechanism for relating various diagnostic entities to probable areas of somatic dysfunction. This matrix and the accompanying patient record aid the physician in recording diagnosis and treatment, thus providing the hospital with documentation of osteopathic patient care's competitive advantage. In a hospital record review, OMT use increased from 5% to 15% of patients after the DRG/OMT Master Matrix was introduced.

The experience of developing and implementing an organ procurement program for a health care agency is most rewarding. Being so deeply involved in the program development forces one to look at the ethical issues head on in an attempt to deal with them personally. Rather than just study the ethical issues at hand, participation in a program allows one to examine the issues in practice. It is likely that medical technology will continue to advance in scope. Health care professionals must keep abreast of the rapid changes that are occurring and confront the ethical issues involved. Only by confronting these issues can health care professionals begin to realistically resolve concerns and provide support for advances that will ultimately allow for growth in practice.