Policy Briefs
September 6, 2024
Dawn of a New Age for Organ Transplantation
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced that the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) is now “separately incorporated and independent” from the Board of its long-time OPTN contractor. This a big advocacy win for AHPA health systems that engaged in efforts to advance this reform. Under the change, United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) no longer has a monopoly on the nation’s organ allocation system, which led to the mismanagement of organs. HRSA has awarded an OPTN Board Support contract to the American Institutes for Research (AIR) to aid the newly incorporated OPTN Board of Directors.
How did we get here?
The present organ transplant system, with UNOS at the helm, has been neglectful at ensuring organs are delivered in an effective manner. Approximately, one in four of kidneys procured are not used or discarded due to mismanagement – resulting in preventable deaths and wasted donations. In 2022, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing to discuss what could be done to better the system. AHPA-member AdventHealth was among those that testified in the hearing, highlighting UNOS’ failure to track organs effectively and other issues. The Committee then followed up with a Request for Information (RFI) to collect more information on how to reinvent the system. The new decision we are seeing now is a – federal glacier pace – response from these actions.
What does this mean moving forward?
Given HSRA’s modernization plan, we can expect to see more:
- Technology integration: HRSA wants to engage the IT community through industry collaboration activities.
- Transparency and oversight: HRSA is publishing organ donation and transplantation data to improve decision-making as well as process improvements. Additionally, Congress is exercising more oversight in the transplant space. On September 11th, the House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a hearing to explore implementation of the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Act.
What is the role of the AIR?
Established in 1946, the AIR is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit institution that conducts behavioral and social science research and delivers technical assistance both domestically and internationally in the areas of health, education and workforce. The AIR team will support the OPTN’s modernization by providing strategic and administrative services to HRSA and the OPTN Board, including:
- Facilitating nomination and election processes of an independent OPTN Board.
- Supporting OPTN Board governance, oversight, management, and strategic planning.
- Updating OPTN structure, composition, policies, processes, and procedures.
- Fostering collaboration within a multi-vendor environment.