UNOS Decisions Impact Data Integrity of the OPTN Data Registry

The Organ Procurement Transplant Network (OPTN)/United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) registry is an important national registry in the field of solid organ transplantation. Data collected are mission critical, given its role in organ allocation prioritization, program performance monitoring by both the OPTN and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and countless observational analyses that helped to move the field forward. Despite the multifaceted importance of the OPTN/UNOS database, there are clear indications that investments in the database to ensure the quality and reliability of the data have been lacking.

This analysis outlines 2 examples: (1) primary diagnosis for patients who are receiving a second transplant and (2) reporting peripheral vascular disease in kidney transplantation to illustrate the extensive challenges facing the veracity and integrity of the OPTN/UNOS database today.

Despite guidance that repeat kidney transplant patients should be coded as "retransplant/graft failure" rather than their native kidney disease, only 59% of new incident patients are coded in this manner. Peripheral vascular disease prevalence more than doubled in a 20-y span when the variable became associated with risk adjustment.

This article summarizes critical gaps in the OPTN/UNOS database, and we bring forward ideas and proposals for consideration as a path toward improvement.