AOPO Supports the Recent NASEM Report to Improve the Organ Donation and Transplantation System in the United States

The Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) applauds and supports the efforts of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) Committee on a Fairer and More Equitable, Cost-Effective, and Transparent System of Donor Organ Procurement, Allocation, and Distribution. Today’s report Realizing the Promise of Equity in the Organ Transplantation System provides recommendations for donor hospitals, organ procurement organizations (OPOs), transplant centers, and the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) to improve system-wide performance, equity, and organ utilization.

“AOPO and its OPO members are committed to advancing the work of NASEM and implementing strategies from the report,” says Jan Finn, RN, MSN, AOPO President and President and CEO at Midwest Transplant Network. “The findings share data-driven, peer-reviewed scientific research and expert perspectives to determine gaps in the organ donation and transplantation system and comprehensive solutions to foster improvement.”

AOPO supports NASEM’s recommendations to create standardized metrics and establish national performance goals to improve donation and transplantation rates among minority and disadvantaged populations, reduce the prevalence of organs recovered and not accepted for transplant, increase the number of organs procured from medically complex donors, including donation after circulatory determination of death (DCDD), and increasing the number of transplants to at least 50,000 by 2026.

“The guidance aligns with AOPO’s goal to achieve 50,000 annual organ transplants in 2026 through increasing collaboration, reducing health inequities, maximizing organ utilization, and driving innovation,” says Finn. “We look forward to taking a deeper look at the details outlined in the report to ensure we are successfully doing our part to save more patient lives”.