Audience:
- 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
- Please share this notice with anyone in your organization who would benefit from this information
Implementation date
Feb. 10, 2022
At-a-glance
A clarification to OPTN Policy 5.10.E: Other Multi-Organ Combinations will establish criteria for situations when OPOs must offer the liver or kidney to heart or lung candidates listed for these organs. When implemented, these changes will provide OPOs clearer direction when offering multi-organ combinations.
- Professional education is now available on UNOS Connect. Find more details below.
What is the current policy?
Current policy addresses multi-organ combinations for candidates on the heart, lung, or liver waiting list who require a second organ, but it does not provide specifics about the “second required organ.” This has led to inconsistent application of the requirements outlined in OPTN Policy 5.10.E.
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
At implementation, a new column will appear 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 will:
- Help the OPO staff make quick and accurate organ offers
- Provide 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 go into effect on Feb. 10. No special actions will be 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 now 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.
