Press Releases

WASHINGTON – Congressman Rob Wittman (R-VA-01) today introduced the Organ Donation Referral Improvement Act, a bipartisan effort co-led by Reps. Jennifer McClellan (D-VA-04), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA-01), and Jim Costa (D-CA-21). The legislation will study the implementation of automated software tools to improve and expedite the organ donation referral process.

This legislation seeks to enhance patient safety by ensuring that every potential organ donor is automatically referred, while reducing the time hospital staff spend on manual referrals. Automating the deceased organ donor referral process will allow hospital staff to focus more on patient care, minimizing the risk of human error, and ultimately increasing the number of organs available for transplant.

"By harnessing the power of technology, we can streamline the organ donation referral process, giving healthcare providers more time to care for their patients and save more lives," said Congressman Wittman. "I'm proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation that will remove barriers to adopting automated electronic organ donor referrals in health systems nationwide so we can give hope to patients waiting for the gift of life."

“There are over 100,000 Americans on the national transplant waiting list. As lawmakers, we have a responsibility to improve and modernize the organ donation process,” said Congresswoman McClellan. “The bipartisan Organ Donation Referral Improvement Act will study the potential for automated electronic donor referrals, reducing the barriers to successful organ transplantation and ultimately saving lives.”

The bill is endorsed by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO), National Kidney Foundation (NKF), American Kidney Fund (AKF), LifeNet Health (OPO for Virginia’s First District), Infinite Legacy (OPO for greater DC area), American Society of Transplant Surgeons, American Society of Transplantation (AST), New Jersey Sharing Network, Kidney Transplant Collaborative, Waitlist Zero, and LifeCenter Northwest.

“The Organ Donation Referral Improvement Act is a critical step towards supporting the national adoption of automated electronic deceased donor referral technology.,” Maureen McBride, Ph.D., CEO of UNOS. “Eight lives can be saved by just one organ donor. One small-scale study found that deploying automated deceased organ donor referral systems increased organ donors by 333%. The widespread use of such technology could increase the number of organs available for transplant and ultimately increase the number of Americans who receive lifesaving organ transplants.” 

“The Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) supports the Organ Donation Referral Improvement Act, an important step in ensuring that every potential donor is given the opportunity to save lives,” said Dorrie Dils, president of AOPO. “We commend Representative Wittman for his dedication and leadership on this important issue. Our member Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs) have seen firsthand how automatic referrals expedite the identification of potential organ donors, significantly increasing an OPOs ability to rapidly authorize donors and recover organs for transplant – all of which leads to more lives saved. Accordingly, we strongly support legislative efforts to make this the standard practice.” 

“This is an important step towards improving our ability to make data-driven improvements to the organ donation and transplantation system. With better data, we can make targeted improvements to streamline the process, reduce delays, and ultimately save more lives," said Kevin Longino, CEO of the NKF and a kidney transplant recipient. "We thank Reps. Wittman, McClellan, Miller-Meeks, and Costa for introducing the Organ Donation Referral Improvement Act and for their continued leadership.” 

“With over 90,000 people on the kidney transplant waiting list, we need to dedicate more resources toward measures that will make the transplant system more effective,” said LaVarne A. Burton, president and CEO of AKF. “The Organ Donation Referral Improvement Act would require a study to gather information and assess if automation of the current manual referral system to organ procurement organizations would improve the current system. Utilizing technology in referrals could be an important part of updating the Organ Procurement Transplantation Network.”

“LifeNet Health has found that automatic electronic donor referrals can support earlier identification of potential organ donors, reduce administrative errors, and save hospital staff time,” said LifeNet Health OPO Executive Director Todd Hubler. “LifeNet Health thanks Representatives Wittman, McClellan, Miller-Meeks, and Costa for their leadership on the Organ Donation Referral Improvement Act.”

“With more than 100,000 people in the U.S. waiting for a lifesaving transplant, we commend Congressman Wittman for his efforts advancing this critical legislation,” said Charlie Alexander, president and CEO, Infinite Legacy. “All opportunities that standardize and enhance the organ donation process allow us to embrace and implement best practices which improve patient safety and maximize the number of lives we can save through organ donation.”

“The American Society of Transplant Surgeons is proud to support the Organ Donation Referral Improvement Act, as we are committed to modernizing all aspects of the transplant ecosystem to provide better outcomes for our patients,” said Ginny L. Bumgardner, MD, Ph.D., president, American Society of Transplant Surgeons. “The study proposed in this legislation will provide data on best practices in automated electronic donor referral that will enhance system performance to save countless lives through the selfless gift of organ donation.”

“Waitlist Zero is in full support of the Organ Donation Referral Improvement Act,” said Eliane Perlman, executive director of Waitlist Zero. “This will provide for a thoughtful study, a key aspect of improving the deceased organ allocation system's automated electronic deceased donor referrals. This will allow the system to "look before it leaps" into the next phase of improvements. Thanks to the heroes in the organ donation world, the number of deceased donor kidney donations has increased steadily every year for the past 32 years.”

Background

Automated electronic deceased organ donor referrals are used by hospitals to refer to organ procurement organizations (OPOs) patients who may become deceased organ donors. Widespread use of automated electronic deceased organ donor referral could increase patient safety and reduce the number of Americans waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant. The technology uses hospital electronic health records (EHR) systems to flag patients who are potential candidates for donation and send patient information to the collaborating OPO. Automated electronic deceased organ donor referral replaces the standard practice of manually notifying OPOs of potential deceased organ donors, lifting the burden of reporting off busy hospital staff, reducing the risk of human error, and ensuring every potential donor is referred.

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