Act Daily News
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The US authorities introduced a plan Wednesday to overtake the nation’s organ transplant system.
The US Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration mentioned it’s going to deal with accountability and transparency by searching for extra contracts to function the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network and sharing information extra transparently.
The system has solely ever been managed by the nonprofit United Network for Organ Sharing, which has been lately criticized for its dealing with of organs, lengthy waitlists for transplants and the variety of deaths amongst folks ready: about 6,000 per 12 months. There are at present greater than 100,000 folks within the United States ready for an organ transplant.
In an announcement, HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson mentioned that oversight of organ transplants is a “top priority.”
“That is why we are taking action to both bring greater transparency to the system and to reform and modernize the OPTN. The individuals and families that depend on this life-saving work deserve no less,” Johnson mentioned.
The company mentioned a brand new information dashboard will present particulars about particular person transplant facilities and organ procurement, together with details about organ retrieval, waitlists, transplants and demographics. The transfer can even modernize the OPTN info expertise system – which was referred to as “outdated, mismanaged and insecure” in a Senate Finance Committee report final 12 months – to enhance governance and improve transparency.
“HRSA recognizes that while modernization work is complex, the integrity of the organ matching process is paramount and cannot be disrupted,” the company mentioned in an announcement. “That is why HRSA’s work will be guided by and centered around several key priorities, including the urgent needs of the more than 100,000 individuals and their families awaiting transplant; the 24/7 life-saving nature of the system; and patient safety and health.”
HRSA famous that President Joe Biden’s 2024 price range proposal sought elevated funding for organ procurement and transplantation – a complete of $67 million – and that it requests that Congress replace decades-old guidelines round appropriations and contracts for organ transplants with a purpose to improve competitors.
UNOS mentioned in an announcement Wednesday that it helps the federal government’s plan and welcomes “a competitive and open bidding process for the next OPTN contract to advance our efforts to save as many lives as possible, as equitably as possible.”
“We believe we have the experience and expertise required to best serve the nation’s patients and to help implement HRSA’s proposed initiatives,” it mentioned.
A report launched final 12 months by the Senate Finance Committee discovered 70 deaths from 2010 to 2020 attributable to system failures inside the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network, in addition to important alternatives for enchancment in how the nation manages organ transplants.
“From the top down, the U.S. transplant network is not working, putting Americans’ lives at risk,” the report mentioned.
Source: www.cnn.com