The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) has reached an agreement with the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) on a contract for OPTN work that will take effect on December 30, 2025, immediately after UNOS’ current contract expires. This contract will allow the system to continue matching patients with lifesaving organ transplants without disruption.
The contract allows HRSA the option to extend UNOS’ work for up to 12 months, until December 29, 2026, with four three-month periods.
This agreement demonstrates that HRSA still relies on UNOS and its expertise for seamless operation of some of the most critical, patient-facing aspects of the OPTN work – IT operations and data services.
UNOS is disappointed that after repeated requests throughout the last year, including during these contract negotiations, HRSA declined to include transition language in the contract that would guard against unintended consequences of turning off UNOS’ support of patient safety, member compliance, and policy support work on December 29, 2025. Under this contract, UNOS does not have the authority to support HRSA or the vendors that are ultimately selected to take on this work. UNOS, in its capacity as an OPTN contractor, has made patient safety a matter of paramount importance and focus during the years it has fulfilled that portion of the contract.
“We are pleased to partner with HRSA to continue to support the nation’s organ donation and transplant system’s IT and data services without disruption, ensuring patients will continue to receive lifesaving transplants,” said UNOS CEO Maureen McBride. “It’s clear that HRSA considers UNOS a critically important partner in the United States’ donation and transplant system, and that our expertise is fundamentally key to the continued seamless operation of the system.”
