HRSA's Progress on Transforming the Organ Transplant System to Better Serve Patients and Families
June 2024 Update
HRSA has taken historic steps in launching and implementing its Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) Modernization Initiative to improve transparency, performance, governance, and efficiency of the organ donation and transplantation system for the more than 100,000 people who are on the organ transplant waitlist.
A key part of these efforts is creating and supporting a truly independent OPTN Board of Directors to facilitate transparent, accountable OPTN governance with oversight from HRSA. For our next step in advancing this vision, HRSA is incorporating the OPTN Board of Directors as a distinct entity with the necessary resources and support to fulfill its responsibilities. Incorporating the Board in this manner:
- Ensures that the OPTN Board is fully separated from the corporate board of the current and future OPTN contractors;
- Creates safeguards against conflicts of interest and undue influence from OPTN contractors or industry;
- Allows the volunteers who make up the OPTN Board to focus on their statutory responsibilities of developing and governing organ allocation policies, membership criteria and membership standards;
- Improves HRSA’s ability to maintain oversight over the OPTN as a whole; and
- Facilitates greater collaboration between the OPTN Board of Directors and HRSA to ensure a fair, transparent, and effective organ procurement and transplantation system.
This approach represents our latest action in implementing the Securing the U.S. OPTN Act signed into law by President Biden last year.
The newly incorporated Board entity will be implemented by June 30, 2024. This will be followed in the future by a series of additional efforts to strengthen OPTN governance as described in HRSA’s Board Support contract solicitation and previous updates. The movement from the legacy model to a modernized, multi-vendor environment with a separate Board of Directors will produce better outcomes for patients through specialization, expertise, focus, and greater accountability.
HRSA’s work is grounded in our mission to support the patients and families who rely on the national organ donation and transplantation system. In partnership with the newly established OPTN Board of Directors and stakeholders across the organ procurement and transplantation community, we will continue working urgently to create a future where anyone who needs a life-saving organ transplant, receives one.
Previous updates
- May 2024: HRSA's Latest Steps to Transform the Organ Transplant System to Better Serve Patients and Families
- February 2024: HRSA Takes Historic New Steps to Transform the Organ Transplant System to Better Serve Patients and Families
- December 2023: HRSA's approach to securing best-in-class expertise and an independent Board of Directors
- October 2023: OPTN Transition Contract Updates, Enhanced HRSA and CMS Collaboration, and HRSA Stakeholder Engagement
- September 2023: Enhanced HRSA and CMS Collaboration, HRSA Stakeholder Engagement, and Industry Day
- July 2023: Statement from HRSA Administrator on Passage of the Securing the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Act
- May 2023: The Path Forward
- March 2023: HRSA Announces Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Modernization Initiative
Frequently asked questions
The modernization initiative will encompass all functions of the OPTN, inclusive of IT and non-IT related activities. As part of the initial phase of the OPTN Modernization Initiative, HRSA is announcing the following actions:
- Build Capacity for Modernization – HRSA is building its capacity to support a modernized OPTN and will be engaging a Program Management Support contractor to assist in the modernization in addition to more than doubling resources available to support the initiative in its FY 2024 President’s Budget request.
- Make Data Available for Critical Decision Making – To assist patients, clinicians, and researchers, HRSA is publishing organ donation and transplantation data to improve data transparency and decision-making. View the OPTN Data Dashboard.
- Engage Stakeholders – HRSA will engage a diverse group of stakeholders early and often to identify and prioritize pressing areas of need for patients and clinicians.
- Improve OPTN functionality – In the next Request for Proposal (RFP), move towards separating OPTN support functions, which may include Board governance, OPTN operations, and IT systems. This approach will diversify the field of potential contractors, encouraging improved functionality through greater competition and innovation.
HRSA endeavors to keep stakeholders and the public apprised of updates in a transparent fashion. HRSA will publish the latest updates on OPTN Modernization Initiative progress on this page.
In addition, to assist patients, clinicians, and researchers, HRSA is publishing organ donation and transplantation data to improve data transparency and decision-making. View the OPTN Data Dashboard.
For all media inquiries, please contact press@hrsa.gov.
Resources
Spanish
- Lea este en español: Actualización de agosto: Mayor colaboración entre la HRSA y los CMS, participación de las partes interesadas de la HRSA y Día de la industria
- Comunicado de prensa en español del 22 de marzo de 2023
- Marzo de 2023: La HRSA anuncia la iniciativa de modernización de la Red de Procuración y Trasplante de Órganos
- Mayo de 2023: El camino a seguir