Why this matters: Reliable organ transport is a critical link between donation and transplantation. Better data, tracking, and coordination can help identify where transport problems occur, reduce logistics-related organ nonuse, and ultimately help more donated organs reach patients safely and on time.
August 2026 update
OPTN Modernization is a coordinated effort to strengthen the nation’s organ donation, procurement, and transplant system through safer care, stronger accountability, better data and technology, and more effective governance. Across these areas, HRSA and the OPTN are updating longstanding systems, policies, and oversight approaches to better reflect current clinical practice and public health needs. This work is focused not only on modernizing individual processes, but also on strengthening how the national transplant system functions as a whole—giving patients, families, healthcare professionals, and federal regulators better information, clearer accountability, and more reliable tools for supporting donation and transplantation.
Key developments this month
- Patient safety protections continue to advance. The OPTN Board approved new policy requirements for donation after circulatory death (DCD) that strengthen protections for potential donor patients and promote greater consistency and accountability in DCD practices.
- Modernization of national data collection is moving toward implementation. Beginning October 1, OPOs will transition to the Ventilated Patient Form, replacing two legacy reporting mechanisms with a more standardized approach designed to improve data quality while reducing reporting burden.
- Governance and program-management structures continue to evolve. All OPTN committees are now using OPTN 360, HRSA has awarded the OPTN Project Management Office task order, and governance changes continue to clarify responsibilities within the modernized OPTN structure.
- Greater transparency is being built into how the system is governed and funded. HRSA is seeking public input on Board and committee applications and forms, and beginning in October HRSA will publish quarterly information on patient registration fees collected by transplant center and the activities those fees support.
For patients, families, and the public
Improving organ transport: Implementing FAA working group recommendations
HRSA is moving forward on recommendations from the FAA-led Organ Transport Working Group, which brought together federal agencies, airlines, organ procurement organizations (OPOs), transplant hospitals, couriers, and other stakeholders. The group’s final report includes 20 recommendations to improve access, logistics, communication, education, and reporting for organs transported on commercial airlines. Five recommendations are directed specifically to HRSA, including improving incident-report sharing, establishing ongoing cross-sector coordination, and strengthening and standardizing organ transport data collection.
HRSA is aligning this work with OPTN modernization and its organ-transport discovery efforts, with a focus on building the data and technology foundation needed to better understand transport failures and improve coordination. For the latest information, visit the OPTN’s organ transport webpage.
Stronger oversight for increased transparency and accountability
HHS to decertify, select new OPO contractor to serve Kentucky
HHS announced it is moving to decertify Network for Hope, the OPO contractor serving Kentucky and parts of Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia, after multiple reviews found persistent patient safety deficiencies that were not corrected despite a year of oversight and required corrective actions. OPOs are the federally designated organizations responsible for recovering donated organs for transplantation in specific geographic regions. Under CMS regulations, if the decertification becomes final after the applicable due process and appeals, a new OPO contractor would be selected through a competitive process, with organ donation services continuing through any transition.
Why this matters: Organ donors, their families, and transplant patients deserve confidence that every donation is managed with the highest standards of care and professionalism. This action demonstrates that HHS will hold organizations accountable when they fail to meet federal standards.
All committees onboarded on OPTN 360
All OPTN committees have now been onboarded to OPTN 360, the shared collaboration platform that supports committee work between meetings. Since onboarding began, committees have used the platform to access meeting materials, review documents, provide feedback, and collaborate asynchronously on policy and operational topics. Expanding OPTN 360 to all committees establishes a consistent collaboration experience across the OPTN and provides additional opportunities for members to engage in committee activities outside of scheduled meetings.
Why this matters: Modernizing committee collaboration supports more transparent, efficient decision-making by giving members more opportunities to review materials, provide feedback, and advance work between scheduled meetings.
Public comment open on OPTN Board and committee applications and forms
HRSA is seeking public comment on a proposed information collection for applications and related forms for individuals serving on the OPTN Board of Directors and its committees. The proposed collection includes Board and committee applications as well as conflict-of-interest, attestation, code of conduct, and confidentiality forms. The comment period is open until October 5, 2026.
Why this matters: The information collected will support a more structured and representative process for selecting OPTN leaders and help HRSA identify and address potential conflicts of interest—strengthening oversight, accountability, and public trust in the governance of the nation’s organ donation, procurement, and transplantation system.
Operational updates for OPTN members
OPTN Board approves policy changes for donation after circulatory death
The OPTN Board of Directors approved policy changes related to donation after circulatory death (DCD) that strengthen protections for potential donor patients throughout the DCD process. The changes establish clearer patient safety protections, enhance information provided to potential donor families, and promote greater consistency and accountability in DCD practices.
What OPTN members need to know: OPOs and other professionals should prepare to implement the new patient safety, documentation, reporting, and communication requirements. The OPTN will provide implementation guidance, an informational webinar, and FAQs in the coming weeks.
HRSA awards Program Management Office Task Order
HRSA awarded the Program Management Office (PMO) Task Order to PCI Professional Services. The award establishes a centralized PMO to provide program management, strategic planning, and coordination support across the OPTN. A dedicated PMO strengthens coordination and collaboration across the OPTN’s multi-vendor environment, helping ensure work is aligned.
What OPTN members need to know: As the PMO contract transitions from Summome to PCI Professional Services, HRSA is focused on continuity of operations, effective knowledge transfer, and a smooth transition, supported by PCI Professional Services' experience with complex federal health programs and OPTN modernization activities.
Upcoming transition to Ventilated Patient Form for all OPOs
As part of OPTN Modernization, the OPTN is transitioning to the Ventilated Patient Form (VPF) to support a more streamlined, standardized approach to collecting data from OPOs about patients referred for potential organ donation. The transition is designed to improve the quality and consistency of national data while reducing reporting burden. As part of this change, the OPTN is retiring the legacy Death Notification Registration (DNR) form and the Monthly Donation Data Report: Reported Deaths (DDDR). The change does not affect the Donation Donor Registration (DDR) form, which will continue to be used.
What OPTN members need to know:
- Patient referrals on or before Sept. 30, 2026: Use the DNR form. OPOs must submit forms for referred patients for the month of September by Oct. 31, 2026.
- Patient referrals on or after Oct. 1, 2026: Use the VPF. OPOs must submit forms for referred patients for October by Nov. 30, 2026.
- A recording of the information webinar held in July is now available on the VPF webpage.
Replacing multiple legacy reporting mechanisms with a more standardized data-collection approach is an important step toward building a stronger national data foundation for understanding referral and donation activity.
FY 2027 OPTN patient registration fee
On August 11, HRSA approved the OPTN Board of Directors’ recommended Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 patient registration fee of $1,268 per transplant candidate, up from $1,036 in FY2026. The Board voted 26–1 in favor of the recommended fee, which will take effect October 1, 2026, for transplant candidates added to the waitlist on or after that date. The fee increase supports implementation of critical Board-approved policies and required Secretarial directives. Learn more about OPTN registration fees.
What OPTN members need to know: HRSA will continue to invoice transplant hospitals monthly through Pay.gov, with payment due within 30 days. Timely payment of registration fees is an OPTN membership requirement (PDF - 1 MB) and enables the OPTN to continue providing the critical services that patients and families depend on. Beginning in October, HRSA will also publish quarterly information on fees collected by transplant center and the activities those fees support, providing greater transparency into how registration fees are used.
Revisions to the OPTN Management and Membership Policies
The OPTN Board of Directors have approved revisions to the OPTN Management and Membership Policies related to Membership and Professional Standards Committee (MPSC) review and approval processes.
What OPTN members need to know:
- The revisions streamline review of certain routine membership actions by allowing the MPSC to provide final approval for actions such as key personnel changes, membership renewals, and certain program status changes and reactivations based solely on key personnel. The changes also reduce the required MPSC reviewer threshold for specified program status changes based on key personnel restoration or qualification.
- Non-routine membership actions including new membership applications, waivers or exceptions to membership requirements, and higher-risk or precedent-setting matters will continue to require Board approval. The Board also retains ultimate oversight authority and may review, modify, or reverse routine membership actions approved by the MPSC.
- These revisions are administrative and procedural and do not change OPTN membership requirements.
Clarifying which decisions can be handled through routine committee processes can make governance more efficient while preserving Board oversight for higher-risk, exceptional, or precedent-setting matters.
OPTN Board of Directors to meet in-person in September
The OPTN Board of Directors will meet in person on September 28-29, 2026. To support public access and transparency, open sessions of the meeting will be available via livestream for public viewing. The meeting agenda and livestream information will be posted on the OPTN Events site closer to the meeting.
Moving forward together
OPTN Modernization is moving from foundational changes in governance, oversight, program management, and data infrastructure toward implementation across the national transplant system.
In the months ahead, this work will continue to focus on translating those structural changes into clearer accountability, stronger patient protections, better information about system performance, more consistent national data, and more effective tools for the professionals and organizations responsible for donation and transplantation.
HRSA remains committed to engaging patients, families, clinicians, OPOs, transplant hospitals, and other stakeholders as this work advances. Continued collaboration will be essential to ensuring that modernization produces a transplant system that is safer, more transparent, more responsive, and better equipped to meet the needs of the people who rely on it.
Date Last Reviewed: