Select Page

Links to policies, bylaws, toolkits and other resources

circle with heart icon
circle with medical cross icon

For all members

OPTN policies and bylaws

OPTN evaluation plan

How UNOS, as the OPTN contractor assesses member compliance with OPTN policies and bylaws.

Evaluation plan

Last updated 3/9/2023

UNOS Connect

Online learning: Effective practices, system updates, and policy changes.

UNOS Connect

Quick links

Questions?

bar charts icon

Understand. Compare. Improve.

Access research and data analytics to improve performance and increase transplant:

Recent changes

eGFR: Waiting time modifications for candidates affected by race-inclusive eGFR calculations

Visit toolkit


Lung allocation: View resources for lung allocation policy based on continuous distribution implemented on March 9, 2023.

Visit toolkit


Jan. 5, 2023: Waiting time modifications policy takes effect. After notifying all of their candidates, all kidney programs must correct waiting times for affected candidates by submitting waiting time modification forms by Jan. 3, 2024. Find details about professional education in the implementation notice.


Nov. 30, 2022: The formula for calculating CPRA score is updating. Read the pre-implementation notice and the patient FAQ to learn more.


July 14, 2022: Two new metrics in effect for enhanced transplant program performance monitoring. Get educational resources and information about the phased timeline for all four risk-adjusted metrics.

Visit toolkit

purple circle with line drawing of lungs

Understand OPTN lung policy changes

For professionals

For patients

Watch video

OPTN membership

Need to apply or amend your organization’s OPTN membership?

Resources with more information about OPTN member requirements and obligations:

Disease transmission

Potential Donor-Derived Disease Transmission Events

In discussion: Making allocation more fair and flexible.

Multi-organ transplants

SLK: Simultaneous liver-kidney allocation

Clarification to multi-organ allocation policy

For your patients: guidance and resources

For professionals: guidance for donor and recipient information sharing

icon of heart inside circle

Organ procurement organizations

Special cases, guidance

Expedited placement

High CPRA

Infectious disease testing

In discussion: Increasing recovery of DCD organs

UNOS recently led a national collaborative improvement project to help identify and share effective practices related to recovery of donation after circulatory death (DCD) organs. Learn how the first cohort surpassed their aim, contributing to 2021’s record-setting year for recovery of DCD organs. 

circle with medical cross icon

Transplant programs

Vessels

Within 7 days

Transplant hospitals must report to the OPTN the disposition of all extra vessels, including their use, sharing, or destruction, within seven days of their use, sharing, or destruction.

(OPTN policy 16.6.C, Reporting requirements for extra vessels)

 

Storing vessels/positive vessel storage

Kidney paired donation

FAQs

Understand the OPTN performance review process

Access UNOS Connect videos in the course catalog under the Quality/Effective practices category. You’ll find:

  • Bayesian methods
  • Demystifying the MPSC performance review process
  • Performance management series town hall
  • Benefits of participating – testimonial

Fundamentals

Policy development

UNOS and the OPTN work with committees of volunteers to create policies to ensure that our national system is equitable.

OPTN, UNOS and SRTR

These three organizations work closely together, but each has their own distinct role in supporting, monitoring and improving the national transplant system.

  • The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, or OPTN, is a public-private partnership that links all professionals involved in the U.S. donation and transplantation system. It is a member organization that acts through its Board of Directors and volunteer committees. The OPTN board establishes and maintains transplant policies and bylaws. Learn more about the OPTN.
  • UNOS is the non-profit that serves as the OPTN under contract with the federal government, and convenes the community to develop policies together. UNOS manages the national transplant waiting list and maintains the database that contains all organ transplant data for every transplant event in the U.S. Learn more about UNOS and its role as the OPTN.
  • The Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients, or SRTR, operates under contract with the federal government. The SRTR works with UNOS as the OPTN contractor and provides analytic support in policy development and performance monitoring. The SRTR evaluates the performance of the system through regular publication of reports. Learn more about SRTR.
Share This