Changes to Adult Heart Allocation Policy Effective this Fall

Start Preparing Now

We’ll implement phase one of a change to heart allocation policy on September 18, 2018 and phase two on October 18.
These changes will:

• better stratify the most medically urgent heart transplant candidates
• reflect the increased use of mechanical circulatory support devices (MCSD) and prevalence of MCSD complications, and
• address geographic disparities in access to donors among heart transplant candidates

How will these changes affect you?
Transplant programs will be affected the most since you will be required to submit more data than you do now for each of your candidates. Your program should begin preparing candidates for transition. This will include entering data and submitting new forms to ensure your candidates will transition to the correct status under the new system.

As soon as the policy is implemented,  exceptions (both approved and pending) will be ineffective and if your patients do not meet the new policy criteria, you will be able to submit a new exception request. Importantly, your candidates will not lose waiting time during the transition.

How to prepare

• Find PDF versions of status justification forms on UNet.
• Access our resource toolkit, available on the OPTN website
  • Adult heart allocation policy revisions
    Learn what is changing in policy and why
• Access all the available policy and system trainings in UNOS Connect: (OPO training available Aug. 8; UNet system training available Aug. 29)
  Remember, you can access UNOS Connect from the UNet homepage under the Resources tab
  • Preparing for Adult Heart Allocation Changes: Access recording on UNOS Connect of live webinar held May 16 from 1:30 – 2:30p.m. ET.

Preparing your patients

Direct your heart candidates to the UNOS patient website Transplant Living.org for a patient-centered Q&A. You can also download a print version.

We also have a PowerPoint presentation you may download and use to help explain how this policy change will impact them.

Questions?
Contact your regional administrator at 804-782-4800.