At its June 11-12 meeting, the OPTN/UNOS Board of Directors approved a statement of principles to guide future policy relating to organ distribution.
These principles were recommended by the Ad Hoc Geography Committee, which the Board formed in December 2017 to accomplish three things:
- Establish defined guiding principles for the use of geographic constraints in organ allocation
- Review and recommend frameworks/models for incorporating geographic principles into allocation policies
- Identify uniform concepts for organ specific allocation policies in light of the requirements of the OPTN Final Rule
The recommended frameworks will be available for public comment in August.
The following resources will help inform you about the geographic distribution discussion and actions. We will continue to provide resources and update the transplant community with the latest information on a regular basis.
Current resources include:
- The Ad Hoc Geography Committee page listing its charge, membership and summary reports
- Brief descriptions and illustrations of the three proposed frameworks
- An archived version of the June 6 member memo from Yolanda Becker, M.D., President of the OPTN/UNOS Board of Directors
- A presentation delivered to the committee addressing legal and regulatory history and perspectives for organ distribution in the United States
- A journal article analyzing legal issues related to the emergent lung allocation policy enacted in November 2017
Look for additional updates on this initiative through additional periodic e-mails and the Transplant Pro e-newsletter.
