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UNOS applauds inclusion of organ donation and transplantation reforms in FY26 Federal Funding Package

Feb 3, 2026 | News, Releases

UNOS applauds inclusion of organ donation and transplantation reforms in FY26 Federal Funding Package

Today, the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) celebrated the passage of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education funding bill for Fiscal Year 2026. The report accompanying the bill includes directives that advance every element of UNOS’ advocacy agenda. These four critical reforms will strengthen organ donation and transplantation across the country and help save more lives.

“It’s critical that every patient gets the transplant they need, which is why we have been working with community partners to push for these critical improvements that will help save lives. These efficient and common-sense reforms will strengthen the organ donation and transplant system,” said UNOS Interim CEO Mark Johnson. “We thank the U.S. Senate and House leaders, U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and U.S. Reps. Robert Aderholt (R-AL) and Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), for championing the inclusion of these policies to strengthen our nation’s system for patients.”

The report accompanying the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2026 directs the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to act on several critical improvements to the system that will make organ donation and transplant more effective for patients and their families. Specifically:

  • Directs HHS to develop a report on automated deceased donor referral software tools. These tools are a critical step towards efficiently identifying and referring every potential organ donor, ultimately increasing lives saved through organ transplantation.
  • Supports the adoption of real-time organ tracking during transit. Tracking technologies will improve transparency in organ transportation nationwide and ensure that precious donated organs reach recipients swiftly and securely.
  • Urges HRSA to implement the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Organ Transportation Working Group recommendations. The Working Group recommendations are essential to ensure the timely and safe delivery of organs by commercial airlines, reducing logistical barriers and improving coordination among all stakeholders involved in organ delivery.
  • Aids the transplantation of medically complex kidneys. Requires HRSA to submit a report to Congress outlining strategies to ensure performance metrics do not penalize hospitals for accepting complex kidney transplants, offering hope to thousands of patients awaiting transplant.

For more information on how UNOS is working with Congress to strengthen the organ donation and transplant system, visit unos.org/advocacy.

About UNOS

The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) is a nonprofit organization that serves the organ donation and transplant system and broader public health community through its work developing new technologies and initiatives, conducting data-driven research and analysis, providing expert consulting services, advocating for patients, and being a leader in bringing communities together to save lives.

UNOS responds to CMS proposed rule; celebrates progress for patients

Jan 28, 2026 | News, Releases

UNOS applauds inclusion of organ donation and transplantation reforms in FY26 Federal Funding Package

The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) strongly supports the important steps outlined in the proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which advances two critical reforms we have long championed: modernizing donor referral with electronic referrals from the donor hospital to the OPO and improving the tracking of donated organs in transit to transplant hospitals. Automated Deceased Donor Referral (ADR) and organ transportation have been key pillars of UNOS’ agenda in recent years, and we are confident that CMS implementing these two proposals will improve the system for patients.

ADR has already shown transformative potential, in one small study increasing donor referrals by 333%, and every additional donor can save up to eight lives. These are the kinds of significant improvements that patients deserve.

Every donated organ is a gift of life, and should not be lost, delayed in transit or damaged. The proposed requirement for organ procurement organizations (OPOs) to report transportation-related adverse events brings long-needed transparency and accountability to the process, paving the way for nationwide improvements and reinforcing the urgency of establishing a real-time national organ tracking system.

With more than 108,000 people awaiting transplant in the United States, every step forward counts. We need momentum and urgency. These bold, practical actions from CMS represent meaningful progress for patients, families, the organ donation and transplant community, and all Americans.

Read more about UNOS’ proposed reforms and advocacy work.

UNOS names 2025 Lisa Schaffner Community Advocate Award recipient

Dec 11, 2025 | Get involved, News, Patient

UNOS names 2025 Lisa Schaffner Community Advocate Award recipient

The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) has awarded the 2025 Lisa Schaffner Community Advocate Award to Mary Baliker in recognition of her 45 years of advocacy for the organ donation and transplant community.

The Lisa Schaffner Community Advocate Award, named after a longtime member of Team UNOS who died in 2021, is awarded annually to an unsung hero who has gone “above and beyond” to promote organ donation and transplantation. This year’s honoree is a four-time kidney transplant recipient, healthcare consultant and patient advocate who has devoted countless hours to patient-centered initiatives.

Baliker was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease when she was just nine years old and has experienced in-center hemodialysis at various times in her life. At age 17, she received her first kidney transplant from her brother, Doug.

Since then, Baliker has undergone three more kidney transplants, the last in 1999. Through every challenge, she has turned her experience into a powerful force for change.

Baliker has served on national boards and international advisory councils and committees, including UNOS’ Patient Affairs Committee, the OPTN Patient Affairs Committee, the American Association of Nephrology’s Kidney Health Initiative Board of Directors, and the National Kidney Foundation, where she currently chairs the Kidney Advocacy and Public Policy Committee. She also sits on the Board for the National Forum of ESRD Networks where she chairs the Kidney Patient Advisory Council.

Mary Baliker, 2025 Lisa Schaffner Community Advocate Award winner, attending Kidney Week

Mary Baliker with UNOS Board member Dr. Maryl Johnson

Mary Baliker, 2025 Lisa Schaffner<br /> Community<br /> Advocate Award winner, speaking at the National Kidney Foundation

Professionally, Baliker has worked as an organ procurement coordinator for the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and Long Beach Memorial Hospital. She has also worked as a clinical research transplant coordinator, a clinical research transplant manager and outreach education director, educating the public and professionals on organ donation.

Baliker is the author of the 2017 children’s book, “Maria Never Gives Up: Are You Brave Like Me?” a story that offers hope and guidance to families navigating chronic illness. She has also published peer-reviewed articles about the patient experience and currently serves as an inspirational speaker, health educator, mentor and research partner.

Letter from UNOS to Senate HELP Committee members

Dec 11, 2025 | News

Letter from UNOS to Senate HELP Committee members

Below is a letter sent by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) to the Senate HELP Committee on December 10, 2025, in advance of its hearing December 11, 2025, about the future of organ donation and transplant.

Read the letter

UNOS continues to support new, existing clients with unparalleled business solutions

Oct 22, 2025 | Innovations and Technology, News

UNOS continues to support new, existing clients with unparalleled business solutions

Two healthcare professionals in scrubs with small circle showing organ tracking map

Innovations and Technology

UNOS continues to support new, existing clients with unparalleled business solutions

While the federal government shutdown has paused some of UNOS’ functions as a contractor for the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to support operations of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), it has not affected the rest of our portfolio of work. UNOS continues to provide professional services, develop technology solutions and support clients without disruption.

A significant portion of UNOS’ workforce is dedicated to supporting our clients with products and solutions ranging from data analytics and research to predictive modeling and data visualization tools, among many others.

For the past month, we have been rolling out upgrades to our suite of UNOS tools for transplant hospitals. These upgrades make their work faster and more efficient, and enable more informed decision-making.

UNOS continues to provide professional services, develop technology solutions and support clients without disruption.

Planning for our 2026 Transplant Management Forum (TMF) conference in Atlanta continues uninterrupted, and we are excited to once again host the largest annual event focused on collaboration between transplant administrators, clinical and financial coordinators, social workers, OPO executive directors, physicians, surgeons and industry allies. This year’s TMF theme is “Transplantation for Tomorrow: Where Innovation Meets Action,” with an agenda focused on how changes in system structure, policy and emerging technologies can be channeled into positive impacts on donation and transplantation. There are still opportunities to sponsor and participate at TMF at a variety of levels. For more information, contact Devin Holland at [email protected].

Despite ongoing challenges due to the federal government shutdown in our work with the federal government to support OPTN operations as part of our contract with HRSA, UNOS’ broader operations remain intact, and our workforce remains committed and strong. As UNOS continues urging lawmakers to quickly settle on a funding solution to reopen the government, we are ready and able to continue working with new and existing partners to advance the field of organ transplantation and improve patient outcomes.

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Is it really a list? What determines how organs are allocated, and the role UNOS technology plays in it

Sep 3, 2025 | Issues and Advocacy, News

Is it really a list? What determines how organs are allocated, and the role UNOS technology plays in it

Collage of illustrative images of data from the UNOS Predictive Analytics tool alongside a doctor talking with woman, and a hand resting on a blanket while getting dialysis

Issues & Advocacy

Is it really a list? What determines how organs are allocated, and the role UNOS technology plays in it

It’s more complicated than you think

Despite what you may have heard or seen in pop culture, waiting for an organ transplant is not like taking a number and waiting for your turn. People often refer to “the waitlist” to describe how the system works, but the reality of how it all works, and who is involved in the process, is significantly more complicated.

The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), in its role as a federal contractor, helps pair donated organs with patients in need.

UNOS does not decide who gets an organ, nor does it determine which organ is offered to which patient.

Is it really a list?

To better understand how patients are matched with lifesaving organs, it’s helpful to think of the people in need of an organ transplant as being grouped into a “pool” of patients. Patients get added to the “pool” by transplant teams at the patient’s transplant hospital. Those teams evaluate patients and make the final decision on whether or not an organ transplant is the proper treatment. Each time an organ becomes available, UNet – UNOS’ organ matching technology – searches the entire pool for the patients who are a match for the organ based on factors such as blood type, immune system characteristics, organ size and health status. Medical urgency and time spent actively waiting for an organ are also considered. This means every time an organ is available for a transplant, the system creates a new prioritized list, known as a “match run,” from the people in the pool, in the order determined by Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) policy.

Who decides how organs are offered to patients?

When an organ becomes available for transplant and an offer is made to a patient in need, the decision to accept or decline the offer is made by the patients’ transplant team who care for them at their transplant hospital. How organs are allocated is determined by policy, built by independent, volunteer committees made up of donation and transplant professionals, doctors, patient and donor families and members of the public. Those committees are established by the OPTN to write policy and improve the national system. Once a match run is created, organ procurement organizations, or OPOs, use UNet to send offers to patient transplant teams in the order prescribed by OPTN policy. Important decisions about patients, such as accepting an offered organ for a patient, are made by the transplant doctors and teams at transplant hospitals across the country.

What does UNOS do?

As part of its OPTN contract with the federal government, UNOS created and maintains a secure web-based application to collect relevant information about transplant candidates and donors, creates matching algorithms that execute OPTN policies, and connects OPOs with transplant teams. UNOS, under its federal contract, also maintains databases of post-transplant information about patients and living donors to help monitor patients’ health following their transplant. These data can provide feedback to transplant hospitals and OPOs and help the OPTN monitor how policy is working, improve patient safety and write future policy changes.

Let’s take a closer look at how donation and transplant work, and the role UNOS plays in it.

How does this process work?

1. It begins with a generous organ donor. Just about 1% of people who die in the U.S. are eligible to become organ donors, and organ donation only occurs after the patient’s doctor has declared death. Laws across the country vary, but all say in some form that death is declared when a person is determined to have an irreversible and permanent cessation of heart function or brain function. In either case, the declaration of death is made by the doctor caring for the patient. Patients are not declared dead by OPO personnel, transplant teams, nor UNOS. If a patient has all the necessary criteria to become an organ donor, and often after consent is gained from the patient’s family, an OPO team will gather additional medical information about the generous donor and report information such as organ size and condition, blood type and tissue type to UNOS’ DonorNet application. DonorNet is part of the UNet system, which is available online for transplant hospitals and OPOs 24/7.

2. UNOS’ technology generates a match run of potential recipients. After an OPO enters information about the donor and the donor’s organs into DonorNet, the OPO can request a match run to create an ordered list of potential recipients that are actively listed in UNOS’ candidate database, which happens to be named WaitlistSM. Patients appear on the match run in the order dictated by OPTN policies.

3. The transplant hospital is notified of an available organ via UNOS technology. Donation professionals at the OPO use DonorNet to send electronic organ offers for patients in the order of the match run, beginning with the first patient on the list.

4. The transplant team reviews the record in DonorNet to evaluate the suitability of the organ for the patient and chooses to accept or decline the offer. This decision is based on the transplant hospital’s established medical criteria (including compatibility between donor and recipient), organ condition, patient condition, patient availability, and logistics. By OPTN policy, the transplant team has one hour to make its decision before the organ is offered to another patient. If the organ is declined, the OPO continues to offer it to patients in the order they appear on the match run until it is accepted.

5. Once the organ is accepted and the organ recovery surgery is performed on the donor, the OPO coordinates transportation for the organ to the hospital where the transplant is performed.

6. Following the transplant, transplant hospitals monitor the health of transplant recipients and living donors, providing regular updates about the patients’ health status to UNOS’ technology. This is required by OPTN policy to promote patient safety and adherence to OPTN policies.

UNOS is responsible for the work designated in its OPTN contract, which is determined by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), in accordance with the National Organ Transplant Act, OPTN Final Rule and all OPTN policies. That work, which includes building and maintaining the software that connects a lifesaving organ donation from a generous donor to a potential recipient, is just one piece of the complex network that saves lives through organ donation and transplant every day. UNOS is dedicated to helping people live life without limits by helping people get the lifesaving transplant they need.

Read more about the ways UNOS aims to save and transform lives through research, innovation and collaboration.

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The generous organ donor

The lifesaving system from the perspective of the generous organ donor, their willing family and the organ procurement organization.

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