Committee established to advance multi-organ policy development

The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network has established a new ad hoc committee to develop allocation policies that address multiple organ groups and the practice of multi-organ allocation. Committee members include leaders of each of the organ-specific committees as well as leaders of the Organ Procurement Organizations Committee, the Pediatrics Committee, the Minority Affairs Committee, and the Patient Affairs Committee.

Current OPTN policy includes some general requirements for when organ procurement organizations (OPOs) must offer a second organ to the same candidate, as well as more specific policies for certain multi-organ combinations, including kidney-pancreas and liver-kidney allocation. This committee will take a more comprehensive approach to multi-organ policy development to accompany the development of a continuous distribution allocation system. The committee will consider developing eligibility criteria and safety nets for various multi-organ combinations, similar to what is in place for liver-kidney, and will consider overall match run prioritization. It will sponsor proposals for public comment and incorporate feedback into proposals to convey to the OPTN Board of Directors.

The members of the committee are as follows: