PUBLIC STATEMENT

Media Contact:
Jenny Daigle | jdaigle@aopo.org

AOPO Statement on CMS Proposed Rule on OPO Oversight

McLean, VA (January 28, 2026) – Today, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule to update federal regulation of organ procurement organizations (OPOs), including performance measurement and re-certification.

The Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) welcomes regulator guidance and clarity concerning OPO oversight. We are working closely with our members to evaluate how the proposed rule will impact the more than 100,000 patients relying on our nation’s organ donation and transplantation system.

Our community continues to advocate for all system stakeholders to closely align and collaborate under uniform rules, definitions, and guidelines. Clear and comprehensive guidance delineating the roles of OPOs, donor hospitals, and transplant centers will save more lives, strengthen accountability, protect patients, and uphold the trust millions of Americans place in organ donation.

We remain concerned that current regulatory structures often cause donation and transplant professionals to work at cross purposes – particularly OPOs and transplant centers handling medically complex organs that are harder to transplant. Every year, thousands of organs recovered by OPOs are declined for transplant and ultimately go unused due to conflicting federal requirements and logistical limitations. To ensure more donated organs reach the patients who need them, it is critical to align regulations and incentives across the transplant and donation ecosystem and support greater acceptance of viable, life-saving organs.

The U.S. organ donation and transplantation system remains a vital component of our nation’s health care infrastructure and remains one of the few sectors still led by nonprofit organizations. OPOs remain an irreplaceable component of this complex system today, and we urge all stakeholders, regulators and lawmakers to protect the foundational principle of our altruistic system: the safety, decisions and dignity of donors, their families, and the patients who benefit from their gifts must always come before profit.

AOPO looks forward to commenting on the proposed rule, which will be open for public comment following publication in the Federal Register. We will continue working with our members, partners and regulators to improve this critical system that gives hope and healing every day.

Each person who becomes an organ, eye and tissue donor can save up to eight lives and heal more than 75. We encourage everyone to learn more and consider signing up as a donor. You can register today by visiting RegisterMe.org.