A key component of rural prosperity is the ability to provide quality health care, officials said at Wednesday's Rural Prosperity Summit in Tifton. The ability to grow those health care providers in rural parts of Georgia was an impetus behind the opening of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine's South Georgia Campus in Moultrie.

MOULTRIE, Ga. — Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) was recently granted a full, 10-year continuing accreditation by its accrediting institution for its osteopathic medical programs at all campuses and locations.

At its April meeting, the American Osteopathic Association’s (AOA) Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) voted to grant PCOM the status of Accreditation with Exceptional Outcome, the highest level of accreditation granted by COCA for the maximum length possible, according to a press release from the college.

In a letter from the AOA, Joshua L. Prober, the interim secretary of COCA and the general counsel for the AOA, congratulated PCOM on achieving this “impressive accreditation status.”

This designation comes after a comprehensive self-study report and visits by a COCA accreditation team to all three campuses in Philadelphia, and in Suwanee and Moultrie, Georgia.

As a newly established location, PCOM South Georgia was reviewed in separate action by the COCA, which determined that all standards of accreditation were met, the press release said.

Robert Cuzzolino, EdD, the recently retired vice president for graduate programs and planning who led the accreditation endeavor, noted that the process was “a complex and exhaustive effort that could only have been the success it was thanks to the contributions of a large number of PCOM people — including faculty, staff, students, trustees and clinical partners.”

To achieve accreditation, Cuzzolino explained that PCOM documented full compliance with 11 different standards of accreditation including mission, leadership, finance, facilities, curriculum, faculty, research, learning environment, student services, GME and learning assessment. 

“It was a true team effort that yielded this very positive result,” he said.

PCOM President and CEO Jay S. Feldstein, DO ’81, said, “We are extremely honored to receive the exceptional outcome designation. This speaks volumes about our institution and the high-quality of education we provide to our students.”

“We thank the numerous members of the College community who contributed to this tremendous effort,” said Provost Kenneth Veit, DO ’76, MBA, FACOFP.

The COCA will not conduct another site visit at PCOM until the spring of 2029. However, monitoring of PCOM’s accreditation status will occur regularly.  

H. William Craver, III, DO, FACOS, dean and chief academic officer of PCOM South Georgia, said this award validates the hard work and quality of the osteopathic medicine program at all three PCOM campuses.   

“Receiving accreditation with exceptional outcome is the highest status that can be received from COCA,” Craver said. “This accreditation result is truly a team effort. It is the hard work of our team in every aspect of education — from the classroom to clinical to student support services — that makes this a great school.”