Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center in Houston is halting its kidney transplant program days after announcing it would stop its liver transplant program, The Houston Chronicle reported April 9.
The hospital said April 5 it was recently made aware of a pattern of irregularities with donor acceptance criteria in the liver program from the database used by United Network for Organ Sharing, a private, nonprofit organization that manages the nation's organ transplant system under contract with the federal government. The irregularities are limited to the liver transplant program, but there is shared leadership structure over both kidney and liver transplants at the hospital.
"We have made the very difficult decision to voluntarily inactivate the kidney transplant program as we evaluate a new physician leadership structure," the system said in a statement shared with the Chronicle. "We are working with all impacted patients and families from the liver and the kidney transplant programs to ensure they have the care and support they need. Our primary commitment has always been to provide quality care to our patients, and it is with that in mind that we have made this difficult decision."
As of April 8, there were 336 patients on the hospital's kidney transplant waitlist and 38 patients on the liver transplant list.
It has not been said how long the programs will be inactive.
Memorial Hermann told the Chronicle that the federal investigation into the irregularities in the liver transplant program is ongoing and it is cooperating with federal regulators.