OPTN/UNOS summit to address OPO, transplant center, system metrics

Published on: Wednesday, February 28, 2018

The OPTN/UNOS Board of Directors is launching a new effort to study and develop metrics that organ procurement organizations (OPOs) and transplant centers can use for improvement. A particular focus will be metrics to study and improve systems and relationships between OPOs and transplant centers.

Three workgroups are being formed to study existing metrics and effective practices and recommend new or updated ways to assess and improve performance. The workgroups will share initial recommendations and seek additional input from the donation and transplant community at a summit to be convened in fall 2018. Details for the summit will be announced later.

The workgroups will share recommendations as applicable with the donation and transplantation community for individual application, with the OPTN/UNOS Board and committees involved in quality assessment, and with federal agencies involved in oversight of organ donation and transplantation.

Matthew Cooper, M.D., and Diane Brockmeier, RN, B.S.N., M.H.A., will co-chair the summit. Cooper is Director of Kidney and Pancreas Transplantation at Medstar Georgetown Transplant Institute in Washington, D.C. Brockmeier is President and Chief Executive Officer at Mid-America Transplant Services in St. Louis.

The workgroups and co-chairs are as follows:

Transplant center workgroup

Lisa Stocks, RN, M.S.N., FNP, Lifesharing

George Loss, M.D., Ph.D., Ochsner Foundation Hospital

OPO workgroup

Kenneth Washburn, M.D., Ohio State University Medical Center

Susan Gunderson, M.H.A., LifeSource

Systems workgroup

Stuart Sweet, M.D., Ph.D., St. Louis Children’s Hospital

Jeffrey Orlowski, M.S. CPTC, LifeShare Transplant Services of Oklahoma