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UNOS strengthens leadership team
Several new leaders will play integral roles in advancing UNOS’ mission to strengthen the organ donation and transplant system.
Innovations and policy updates drive equity and a record number of lifesaving organ transplants in 2023
Another record year for organ transplants, with 46,632 transplants performed in 2023 thanks to the selfless and generous gifts from donors.
UNOS hires new Vice President of External Affairs
The external affairs team advocates for impactful policies and legislation on behalf of transplant patients with the mission of saving as many lives as possible.
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Kidney – Pancreas
Implementation notice: CPRA calculation change
CPRA >98% signatures must be entered in Waitlist for the candidate to receive additional allocation priority.
Predictive analytics tool now available to all kidney programs
Innovative new technology helps transplant hospitals make the right match for their patients
Available now: Predictive analytics for adult kidney offers
The predictive analytics tool seeks to show the likely impacts for a candidate if their current offer is refused, based on relevant historical data for similar candidates.
Liver – Intestine
Two-year monitoring report for liver, intestine policy shows success in key aspects
Report details outcomes since policy implementation in February 2020.
Updated National Liver Review Board guidance now in effect
Updates made to guidance for HCC and adult MELD exceptions.
Updates to living donor exclusion criteria now in effect
Four exclusion criteria in OPTN Policy 14.4.E have been updated to align with current research and guidelines as well as ensure consistency throughout OPTN policy language.
Heart – Lung
Four-year monitoring report for adult heart allocation now available
Latest report shows key measures of adult heart allocation following policy changes implemented in October 2018.
Six-month monitoring report for heart policy following a device recall now available
Policy allows exception status for heart candidates with a recalled assist device.
New data fields available June 29 to prepare for simultaneous heart-kidney and lung-kidney allocation
Updating data in advance will ensure candidates get priority when the policy takes effect.
VCA
Applying for OPTN vascularized composite allograft transplant program approval
See list of membership requirements for VCA programs.
The status of vascularized composite allograft allocation
Learn more and access resources.
National committee formed to develop network policies for hand, face transplantation
Eighteen people who have clinical, professional and personal experience with vascular composite allografts (VCA) have been named to a new committee of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) to develop nationwide standards and policies for these procedures.
Improving the system together
High-flying hopes: Are drones the future of organ transportation?
The University of Maryland’s Joseph Scalea, M.D., delivered a kidney via drone in April 2019. Now, he’s founded a nationwide organ transplant logistics company.
Bridging the gap: Kidney biopsy results and transplant survival outcomes
UNOS researchers seek to quantify the association between kidney-specific prognostic markers and post-transplant outcomes.
Better screening accelerates organ offers
The University of Florida’s kidney-pancreas surgical director, Kenneth Andreoni, M.D., on his participation in UNOS’ organ offer filters project.
UNet
VCA allocation is now in UNet
Allocation of all Vascularized Composite Allograft (VCA) organs has been moved to UNetSM. Any patients on the “VCA Candidate List” have been added to WaitlistSM by UNOS staff.
New kidney biopsy fields added to DonorNet and TIEDI
New kidney biopsy fields have been added to DonorNet® and TIEDI®.
Important note on upcoming VCA data collection
Members will continue to receive TRR and TRF forms for VCA transplants from UNOS via secure email and return the finished forms via secure email.
“… policy is the living, breathing expression of group values.”
Martha Pavlakis, M.D. on new policies that put patients first
Policy changes
New data fields available June 29 to prepare for simultaneous heart-kidney and lung-kidney allocation
Updating data in advance will ensure candidates get priority when the policy takes effect.
Safety net policies for kidney-after-heart and kidney-after-lung allocation in effect June 29
Candidates who meet criteria will get additional kidney allocation priority.
Updated National Liver Review Board HCC guidance in effect April 28, 2023
Clarifications made to diagnostic criteria.
Policy monitoring
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Learn: Collaborative improvement and educational resources
IN FOCUS
Over 5,000 organs tracked with UNOS Organ Tracking Service
26% of all OPOs are now utilizing the UNOS Organ Tracking Service to monitor organs in transit.
Collaboration
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Education
Predictive analytics project to launch education in December 2022, is intended to increase organ utilization
All adult kidney programs will be able to evaluate organ offers using predictive data.
Oct. 13 webinar to address lung continuous distribution policy implementation
The webinar will be recorded for future access.
Effective practices
Learn about collaborative improvement projects
Learn about issues impacting patients, donors, donor families, and the national system. Issues and advocacy
Perspectives
36 years later: An organ donor’s parents’ story
Thirty-six years after they lost their son, Matthew, Milt and Janet Bemis reflect on the decision to give the gift of life to a family they had never met.
National Minority Donor Awareness Month: An interview with an organ donor’s father
Hear Tommy Page, whose daughter saved four lives through the gift of life, discuss the importance of talking about organ donation with minority communities.
OPO CEO Charlie Alexander on increasing organ recovery during COVID-19
The Living Legacy Foundation CEO Charlie Alexander talks about increasing organ recovery during COVID-19.
Leadership news
In Memoriam: John S. Najarian, M.D.
In Memoriam — John S. Najarian, M.D.,a mentor to many transplant practitioners and an early leader in the development of transplant surgery and immunology
In Memoriam: G. Melville Williams, M.D.
In Memoriam – G. Melville Williams, M.D. The life and legacy of a pioneer in transplant and the founding president of UNOS.
In Memoriam: Margo L. Akerman
UNOS commemorates Margo Akerman for her tireless commitment to advocate for transplant candidates and recipients and to educate the public about the need for and benefits of transplantation.
“The dozens of topics presented at TMF shared one thing—our community’s dedication to doing everything we can to constantly improve the system and better serve the patients who rely on us.”
Patient safety
CMS issues COVID-19 guidance to health care providers
The new adult elective surgery and procedure guidelines prioritizes transplant surgeries as essential care.
Field notification addresses perfusion circuit sample port
Recall affects specified lots of Organ Recovery Systems’ LKT200 Perfusion Circuit Sample Port
Recall notice affects Sodium chloride vials
A manufacturer of retail drugs has issued a voluntary recall of a product used in recovery and preparation of donor lungs.
Transplant hospital
Changes to security personnel requirements and reporting
Changes to security personnel requirements and reporting to be implemented following policy changes approved by the OPTN Board of Directors.
Pre-implementation notice: New transplant performance metric to go into effect July 27
A new risk-adjusted pre-transplant performance monitoring metric – the offer acceptance rate ratio – will take effect July 27, 2023.
UNet user audit now open
Site security administrators have four weeks to conduct a required audit of their UNet users.
OPO
New lung allocation policy in effect
First organ type to use continuous distribution framework.
OPO partners with Black history museum to increase organ donor registrations
Kia Potts tells us how LifeNet Health and a Richmond-area cultural institution worked together to change lingering misconceptions about organ donation.
An important message from the MPSC on donation after circulatory death (DCD) protocols and managing multiple organs
The Membership and Professional Standards Committee shares opportunities for improvement with the donation and transplant community.
Histocompatibility
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Stories and tributes
Each person touched by organ donation transplant has a unique story. Threads of hope connect them. Find videos, stories and tributes