Important update: Liver policy changes and National Liver Review Board are in place, effective May 14, 2019.
Today, a federal court in Atlanta denied a request to delay implementation of the liver distribution policy approved by the OPTN Board of Directors in December 2018. The plaintiffs have indicated an intent to appeal that ruling and as of this message, no injunction has been ordered that would further delay implementation of the policy. As a result, the new policy will go into effect on May 14. Implementation of the National Liver Review Board (NLRB) will also go into effect on the same date, and the planned conversion of exception scores for most candidates who have current exceptions will take place at that time.
The transplant community, including a committee comprising transplant experts, organ recipients, and donor families from around the country and the OPTN Board of Directors—with extensive input from the public—came together to develop and approve the new policy.
Simulation modeling of the new policy suggests it will be fairer to patients nationwide, save more lives by reducing pre-transplant deaths, and improve transplant access for children in need of a transplant. Additional details about the policy are available on the liver distribution page on the UNOS website.
