Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates is under investigation after allegations that it tried to pressure its personnel to retrieve organs from a hospital patient who was awake and later left the facility alive, The Wall Street Journal reported Sept. 11.
The allegations were presented during a House subcommittee hearing on the U.S. organ-transplant system by Nyckoletta Martin, a former employee of the group. She said workers were ordered by a supervisor to find another surgeon who would take out the organs, but declined. She later quit her job.
"What is clear to me from my time at KODA is that the [organ procurement organization] does not operate in patients' interests, and regularly engages in unethical activities for the sole purpose of trying to keep its lucrative government contract," Ms. Martin wrote in a letter to the committee.
A KODA spokesperson told Becker's that the organization "strictly adheres" to all laws and national guidelines set by regulatory bodies.
"Our commitment to ethical practices means that we follow rigorous protocols to ensure patient safety and integrity throughout the organ donation process," KODA said in a statement. "Organ donation only proceeds after a patient has been declared deceased by independent clinicians from the treating hospital, and we have clear procedures to follow if a patient's condition changes. We do not make determinations of death, nor do we compromise ethical standards for organ donation."
The Kentucky Attorney General's Office is investigating the allegations with law enforcement.
Ms. Martin was one of several who said procurement groups in various states have pushed surgeons to secure organs from living patients.
The Association of Organ Procurement Organizations, which represents groups nationally, said they are recovering enough organs to prevent anyone from dying on the waitlist and it wasn't invited to offer testimony at the hearing. It criticized lawmakers for discussing "false, misleading and unsupported allegations.
There are about 56 nonprofit organ procurement organizations across the country. They are paid by Medicare and transplant centers to collect organs from deceased donors and provide them to recipients.