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Summer 2023 public is now closed. Thank you for providing your feedback. This cycle was open from July 27 to Sept. 19, 2023. The last opportunity to provide feedback on these items was prior to 11:59 p.m. ET on Sept. 19.
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A special public comment period for a lung policy modification proposal was open from Aug. 24 through Sept. 7. View comments

UNOS convenes and welcomes public debate throughout the policy development process.

Public comment is a time for the donation and transplant community to come together and work collaboratively.

We encourage patients, transplant candidates and recipients, living donors, donor families and transplant professionals to learn more about the items and provide their valuable feedback to help shape U.S. organ transplant policy. Also, regional meetings are happening around the country and are open to everyone. We encourage you to attend.

Visit the OPTN website to learn more, watch videos and provide feedback on the 14 items available for comment.

Concept paper

Concepts for a collaborative approach to living donor data collection

Proposed concept

The paper details the concept of the OPTN requiring collection and reporting of living donor candidate and donation decision data.

This data would be shared with the SRTR Living Donor Collective to establish a foundation in which the SRTR Living Donor Collective could directly follow-up with living donor candidates and living donors long-term at a national level.

Goal

Promote living donor and transplant recipient safety

Read concept paper and provide feedback:

White paper

Ethical analysis of normothermic regional perfusion

Summary

This paper outlines the ethical principles relevant for review of the new medical transplant procedure, normothermic regional perfusion (NRP).

NRP is a new technology that has potential to increase the number of transplantable organs, but it is important to ensure that the donation procedures are transparent and ethical.

Goal

Increase the number of transplants

Read white paper and provide feedback:

Proposal

Modify organ offer acceptance limit

Proposed changes

Limit transplant programs to accepting one organ offer at time per candidate per organ type with no exceptions for higher status candidates nor DCD donors.

Goal

Increase the number of transplants

Read proposal and provide feedback:

Proposal

Require reporting of patient safety events

Proposed changes

Require members (specifically transplant hospitals and OPOs) to report certain patient safety events.

Update Patient Safety Portal form so that it lists the events that members will be required to report.

Goal

Increase the number of transplants

Read proposal and provide feedback:

What is public comment?

Public comment is a crucial part of policy development. It’s a time for donor families, transplant candidates, organ recipients, donation and transplant professionals and the general public to provide feedback and engage in debate about policies that govern organ matching and allocation. To make the nation’s organ donation and transplantation system fair and equitable for all, many voices are needed and every view matters.

Please see the resources listed here to learn more about how UNOS convenes the organ donation and transplant community and the public in this twice yearly forum.

“Public comment is so important. And regional meetings are the place everyone comes together to talk about the big picture. I learn from the people who are on the ground and doing the work—like transplant coordinators and administrators. It’s really important to consider their perspectives and have evidence-based conversations about policy. Public comment is a reflection opportunity for real world issues in transplant.”

Macey L. Levan, J.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Surgery and Population Health, NYU Langone Health

Dr. Henderson is a former member of the OPTN Board of Directors. She is also a living donor.

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