Access for Urgent Liver Candidates in Hawaii and Puerto Rico

Proposal Overview

Status: Implemented

Sponsoring Committee: Liver and Intestinal Organ Transplantation

Strategic Goal: Provide equity in access to transplants

Policy Notice (PDF; 01/2020)

View the Briefing Paper (PDF; 01/2020) 

Read the proposal (PDF; 12/2019)

Contact: Betsy Gans

Executive Summary

For liver candidates listed in Hawaii or Puerto Rico who need a liver transplant very urgently, there may not be a donor of compatible blood type within 500 nautical miles (NM) in the time frame they need. This proposal would create additional geographic units that only apply to these candidates in order to broaden the pool of donors for whom these candidates would be likely to receive offers. For candidates in Hawaii, there would be an additional unit of distribution of 2,400 NM between the donor and transplant hospitals. For candidates in Puerto Rico, there would be an additional unit of distribution of 1,100 NM between the donor and transplant hospitals. These additional units of distribution would follow allocation classifications for candidates of similar medical urgency within 500 NM of the donor hospital.