Audience: (Please share this notice with anyone in your organization who would benefit from it.)
- Organ procurement organization (OPO) placement and procurement coordinators, administrators, quality coordinators, and directors who:
- Use the DonorNet® and DonorNet Mobile℠ application for organ offer management
- Transplant hospital coordinators, administrators, quality coordinators, and directors who:
- Use the DonorNet and the DonorNet Mobile application for organ offer review
Implementation date
Feb. 10, 2022
At-a-glance
This clarification to OPTN Policy 5.10.E: Other Multi-Organ Combinations establishes criteria for situations when OPOs must offer the liver or kidney to heart or lung candidates listed for these organs. These changes provide OPOs clearer direction when offering multi-organ combinations.
- Professional education is now available on UNOS Connect. Find more details below.
What was the previous policy?
Prior to this clarification, OPTN policy addressed multi-organ combinations for candidates on the heart, lung, or liver waiting list who require a second organ, but did not provide specifics about the “second required organ”. This led to inconsistent application of the requirements outlined in OPTN Policy 5.10.E (previously OPTN Policy 5.10.C).
How is the new policy different?
The new policy establishes requirements for those situations when OPOs must offer the liver or kidney when allocating deceased donor organs from the heart, lung, or heart-lung match run. Read the policy notice.
Enhancements in DonorNet effective Feb. 10
A new column is now visible on the user interface of match runs for heart, lung, and heart-lung deceased donors. This new data field will help you comply with the new policy and will show if a candidate meets the requirements to receive a second organ as outlined by policy.
This enhancement:
- Helps the OPO staff make quick and accurate organ offers
- Provides transparency to both the OPO and transplant hospital staff about which candidates meet the policy requirements
What you need to do
These policy and technology changes are effective as of Feb. 10. No special actions are required to view the new DonorNet columns on the heart, lung, or heart-lung deceased donor match run pages.
Education and resources
Professional education on this policy clarification is available on UNOS Connect.
- ORG100: Clarifying Multi-Organ Allocation Policy
The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Board of Directors approved this policy change at its June 2021 meeting. Visit the OPTN public comment page for this proposal to learn more.
Questions
If you have questions relating to implementation, contact UNOS Customer Service at [email protected], or call 800-978-4334 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET.
For policy-related questions, contact [email protected].
The Organ Center is available 24 hours a day at 800-292-9537.
