St. Louis – At its meeting November 12, the OPTN/UNOS Board of Directors placed two member institutions on probation: Nebraska Organ Recovery System, the organ procurement organization serving the state of Nebraska; and Erie County Medical Center, a transplant hospital in Buffalo, N.Y. The circumstances leading to these two actions were not related. As established in the OPTN bylaws, probation is a public designation of an OPTN/UNOS member that is executing a corrective action plan for noncompliance with OPTN policies or bylaws, or a serious lapse in patient safety or quality of care. Learn more.
Nebraska Organ Recovery System: Summary of Events
Nebraska Organ Recovery System has demonstrated a history of non-compliance with OPTN policies, as well as a lack of quality control as evidenced in a peer visit conducted in May 2014. The OPTN/UNOS Membership and Professional Standards Committee (MPSC) conducted a systematic review of the member’s history and practices, including an interview with representatives of the institution on July 9, 2014, and a hearing on September 15, 2014. While the institution has recently updated its quality improvement plan, the MPSC concluded that the organization requires close monitoring as it continues its quality improvement process. The committee recommended that the institution be placed on probation, an action approved by the OPTN/UNOS Board of Directors.
Erie County Medical Center: Summary of Events
Erie County Medical Center demonstrated non-compliance with OPTN data submission requirements related to a recent living donor transplant event. Subsequent peer review of the hospital’s kidney transplant program revealed additional concerns with its processes for evaluation of potential living donors.
Erie County Medical Center voluntarily and temporarily ceased performing living donor kidney transplant procedures while initiating a quality review and improvement protocol; it has since resumed living donor activity. The OPTN/UNOS Membership and Professional Standards Committee (MPSC) interviewed representatives of the institution on July 9, 2014. After the interview, the MPSC concluded that the organization requires additional close monitoring as it continues its quality improvement process.
Erie County Medical Center waived its right to a hearing with the MPSC. The MPSC subsequently recommended that the institution be placed on probation, an action approved by the OPTN/UNOS Board of Directors.
United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) serves as the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) by contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Division of Transplantation. The OPTN brings together medical professionals, transplant recipients and donor families to develop national organ transplantation policy.
