Actions to strengthen the U.S. organ donation and transplant system
Data collection: Study the use of automated electronic deceased donor referral to enhance donor identification
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Greater access to accurate information and data on potential donors will help the OPTN’s work with the transplant community to increase efficiency to strengthen the system.
UNOS Action
On October 4, 2024, U.S. Representatives Rob Wittman, Jennifer McClellan, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, and Jim Costa introduced the Organ Donation Referral Improvement Act. In January of 2025, the bill was reintroduced. UNOS worked alongside congress to develop this legislation, which will improve data available on software tools used to refer potential organ donors from hospitals to organ procurement organization to drive system improvements and increase transplants.
Specifically, the bill directs the HHS Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) to conduct a voluntary national study of automated electronic deceased donor referral to identify best practices and recommend steps for its broad adoption. Automated electronic deceased donor referral replaces the standard practice of manually notifying OPOs of potential deceased donors, lifting the burden of reporting off busy hospital staff, reducing the risk of human error, and ensuring every potential donor is referred. Widespread use of automated electronic deceased donor referral could increase the number of organ donors and reduce the number of Americans waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant.
The UNOS Action Agenda reflects the needs of the broader donation and transplant community.
All stakeholders, including UNOS, share a common mission:
Get as many transplantable organs as possible to patients who need them.
All parts of the national system must be held accountable for making sure that this happens. The transplant community and the OPTN must provide the highest level of service to patients and the greatest level of transparency to the public who have charged them with this lifesaving work.
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4. Transparency