United Network for Organ Sharing retains contract for managing national transplant network

The United Network for Organ Sharing has retained its contract as the nation’s Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network after a competitive bidding process.

United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) has contracted with the Health Resources and Services Administration of the HHS since it developed the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) in 1986.

“UNOS is committed to continually improving the nation’s transplant system,” said UNOS CEO Brian Shepard in a press release. “Donors, their families and waiting transplant candidates depend on us.”

Last year, the number of organ transplants in the United States reached a new high for the fifth consecutive year, and the number of transplants is expected to exceed 36,000 this year, the organization reported. All transplant hospitals and organ procurement organizations nationwide are members of the OPTN.

The contract requires UNOS to develop a number of policies and practices, including to develop and implement equitable organ distribution policies; collect detailed data on all transplant candidates and recipients, as well as living and deceased organ donors, now done through the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients; conduct research to improve performance of the national transplant system; assist in organ placement for transplantation; monitor members for patient safety and quality; and review issues involving potential risks to the health and safety of transplant candidates, recipients and/or living donors.

Including option years, the new contract will run through September 2023, UNOS said. Total funding during the length of the contract is estimated to be close to $250 million. The federal government will fund approximately 10% of that amount. The remainder of contract funding comes from fees assessed to individual member institutions, the organization said.

Areas of additional emphasis under the new contract include enhancing professional and public involvement in OPTN policy development, such as developing and hosting professional symposia on key policy-related issues; continuing to foster innovation in providing projects and services to increase organ utilization and improve the organ matching process; and furthering the development and use of metrics in assessing the effectiveness of OPTN policy implementation and of monitoring members for patient safety and quality. UNOS is based in Richmond, Virginia.

Reference:

https://unos.org/unos-wins-contract-to-continue-as-national-transplant-network/