Wyden Statement on Proposed Rule to Improve Organ Transplant System

Wyden Statement on Proposed Rule to Improve Organ Transplant System

Washington, D.C. - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued the following statement after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed rule to update and improve the organ transplant system.

"I'm pleased that the administration has chosen to adopt some of the steps I have proposed to improve the organ transplant system for organ donors, recipients and their families," Wyden said. "Americans deserve an organ transplant system that is efficient, safe, and fair. The best way to make that a reality is to pass black letter law through Congress, but key reforms included in today's proposed rule represent important progress"

Last month, Wyden unveiled draft legislation that would bolster accountability and outcomes in the organ transplant system, including steps proposed by the administration today such as closing the pancreata loophole, clarifying that CMS has the authority to decertify underperforming Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs) and certify new OPOs, and clarifying the process of awarding a service area to another OPO if the original OPO was decertified.

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