Two HHS agencies took steps Dec. 17 to improve the availability of organs for transplant as directed by President Donald Trump's July 10 executive order to advance kidney health.
"Our broken system of procuring organs and supporting kidney donors costs thousands of American lives each year," said HHS Secretary Alex Azar in a statement. "President Trump sees kidney disease as a health challenge where we can make a major impact, and his Advancing American Kidney Health initiative, including today's announcements, will transform the lives of American kidney patients, who have been neglected for too long."
Here are the proposed rules announced Dec. 17:
- CMS proposed a rule that will overhaul the performance metrics and incentives for organ procurement organizations. CMS proposes using the donation and transplantation rates of the top 25 percent of organizations as the new benchmark nationwide. It would make scores public and review OPOs every 12 months.
- The Health Resources and Services Administration proposed a rule to make living organ donation more affordable. This includes reimbursing donors for lost wages, child care and elder care expenses.
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