CMS, HRSA proposed rules aim to increase organ supply

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and Health Resources and Services Administration today announced proposed rules aimed at increasing organs available for transplant, as specified in a July executive order on advancing kidney health. The CMS rule would change certain conditions of Medicare and Medicaid participation for organ procurement organizations, including how CMS measures organ donation and transplantation rates. CMS also would review an OPO’s performance every 12 months, and require changes to an OPO’s quality assurance and performance improvement program if the OPO’s organ donation and transplantation rates fall below those for the top 25% of OPOs in the year preceding the assessment year. The HRSA rule would expand the types of expenses its National Living Donor Assistance Center will reimburse to include lost wages and child- and elder-care expenses for living donors who lack other forms of financial support. Comments on both rules are due 60 days after their publication in the Federal Register.