Current status: meeting the regulatory goals of your liver transplant program

The regulatory framework set by the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) and Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for practice of liver transplantation in US is periodically updated and risk adjusted. Therefore, it is prudent for transplant centers to know the rules of engagement as it pertains to their practice.

OPTN besides providing the regulatory oversight for safe and continued practice of transplant centers, provides necessary tools like: advanced statistical models and technological platforms to aid, and guide transplant centers including the necessary safeguards for high-quality transplant care.CMS regulations although had different thresholds to flag underperformance, often covered common grounds similar to the OPTN, therefore considered duplicative and unnecessary. But with much deliberation and consideration CMS undertook a major overhaul to the final rule for re-approval applications, a giant leap in the positive direction for transplant innovation and growth.

The duplicative regulatory framework of OPTN and CMS has although achieved the goal of improving 1-year patient outcomes, it has proven costly in terms of slowing innovation, increasing organ discard and stunting growth of transplant volume. But the new updates in effect and also in the pipeline are a long-awaited opportunity for waiting transplant patients.