At a meeting held November 6, 2026, the OPTN Board of Directors declared Network for Hope to be a Member Not in Good Standing. Network for Hope is an organ procurement organization (OPO) based in Louisville, Kentucky that also serves parts of Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia.
Under the OPTN Bylaws and Management and Membership Policies, the Member Not in Good Standing designation is the most significant member action that the OPTN can take independently and is intended to provide public notice of an OPTN member that has committed a serious violation of OPTN policies or bylaws or has demonstrated a serious lapse in patient safety or quality of care. The OPTN Management and Membership Policies also provide standards for members to eventually have the designation reconsidered and potentially removed if they demonstrate substantive improvement.
The OPTN’s peer review process involving Network for Hope identified a number of ongoing concerns with the OPO’s compliance with OPTN requirements and their ability to enhance practices for patient safety and corrective action management. Findings included issues related to assessment of patient suitability for organ donation, logistics and labeling, communication, clinical issues to include organ perfusion, compliance with corrective action plan requirements, and organ allocation out of OPTN sequence.
Summary of events
The OPTN Membership and Professional Standards Committee (MPSC) conducted a detailed, confidential, due process review of information regarding Network for Hope, following the measures outlined in Appendix L of the OPTN Management and Membership Policies. The review process included a peer visit to the hospital on May 12-13, 2026.
In June 2026, the OPTN Board voted to refer Network for Hope to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary to take appropriate action, citing Network for Hope’s failure to address identified concerns and continued noncompliance with applicable rules and/or OPTN policies that resulted in a risk to the health of patients and/or public safety.
Following referral to the HHS Secretary, the MPSC continued its ongoing review. The MPSC determined that Network for Hope had not made significant improvements to address identified gaps in oversight, communication, competency, and leadership engagement. As a result, the MPSC recommended that Network for Hope be designated Member Not in Good Standing. The OPTN Board approved the MPSC’s recommendation on November 6, 2026.