(The Center Square) – Amid growing concerns over patient safety, the House Subcommittee on Energy and Commerce Oversight held a hearing Tuesday to take a deeper look into issues within the nation’s organ transplant system.
The hearing comes a day after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “launched a new reform initiative” focusing on how organs are procured and distributed.
Chairman Rep. John Joyce, R-Pa., opened the hearing by noting that there were “more than 48,000 organ transplants performed in the United States” in the last year.
“Many of us know someone who is an organ donor or organ recipient,” Joyce said. “They might be relatives, neighbors, friends, or coworkers.”
Barry Massa, Executive Director of LifeCenter Organ Donor Network, testified that the lack of communication between agencies and organ procurement organizations was a key concern during the hearing.
“OPOs cannot meaningfully or appropriately address alleged patient safety concerns if they do not receive timely and comprehensive feedback from oversight agencies,” Massa said.
Dr. Raymond Lynch, chief of the Organ Transplant Branch at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), testified that his concern was ensuring that patients remained safe throughout each step of the organ transplant process.
This comes after a case was reopened “involving potentially preventable harm to a neurologically injured patient.”
“Historically, HRSA did not receive complete, consistent, and, at times, accurate information regarding patient safety complaints and concerns raised by OPTN members and other stakeholders,” Lynch said in his testimony.
Joyce emphasized that improving the system requires strong federal oversight.
“The federal government plays a critical role in ensuring the organizations tasked with administering and overseeing our nation’s organ procurement and transplant system operate safely, effectively, and in accordance with the law,” the congressman said.
Maureen McBride, chief executive officer for the United Network for Organ Sharing, told the committee that in order to proceed and strengthen the system for patients and the donors’ families, there are several reforms that will increase transparency and improve oversight.
“These reforms aim to close critical gaps in oversight, improve patient outcomes, and ensure that the system is centered on the needs and voices of patients and donor families,” McBride said.
