An ethics committee for a HMO an oxymoron? Certainly not!

In developing a plan-wide ethics committee for a health maintenance organization (HMO), one will inevitably be faced with the numerous differences between a HMO and any other health care facility. These differences offer advantages and disadvantages with regard to the formation of an ethics committee and strongly influence the logistics and functions of such a committee. Managed health care is a new arena for an ethics committee, one in which the role of an ethics committee is beginning to unfold.