Overview of Changes
On Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020, several OPTN policy updates were implemented to eliminate the use of donation service areas, or DSAs, from heart transplantation and replace them with a 250 nautical mile circle. Additionally, the term “zone” has been removed from thoracic (heart and lung) allocation policies and replaced with the actual distances in nautical miles between donor hospital and transplant hospitals where candidates are listed. Previous policy action in 2017 removed DSA from lung allocation. An additional change removes current policy language regarding prioritization of sensitized candidates within a DSA.
All of the policy updates are included in this policy notice, reflecting actions the OPTN Board of Directors approved at its June, 2019 meeting.
System Implementation Information
The policy changes do not affect definitions of “local” thoracic candidates used in:
- donor acceptance criteria within Waitlist
- contact management within DonorNet
- notification limits for organ offers
Review processes described in the OPTN Member Evaluation Plan are not affected by any of these updates.
Resource information
- A resource document, “Thoracic Allocation Using Nautical Miles,” is available in UNOS Connect from the Heart category of the course catalog, offering HRT105-D
- Online help documentation covering UNetSM functionality is available. Access Secure Enterprise and then choose Waitlist. On the Help menu, click Waitlist Help. You may search for a specific help topic or use the table of contents to assist with your search.
Questions?
If you have questions about the implemented updates, contact UNOS Customer Service at 800-978-4334. For policy-related questions, send an e-mail to [email protected].
