Henrico Times

Congressman Rob Wittman introduced the Organ Donation Referral Improvement Act, a bipartisan initiative aimed at enhancing the organ donation process. The bill is co-led by Representatives Jennifer McClellan, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, and Jim Costa. It proposes a study on implementing automated software tools to streamline organ donation referrals.

The legislation aims to improve patient safety by automating the referral of potential organ donors, reducing hospital staff's manual workload. This automation is expected to minimize human error and increase available organs for transplant.

"By harnessing the power of technology, we can streamline the organ donation referral process, giving healthcare providers more time to care for their patients and save more lives," said Congressman Wittman. "I'm proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation that will remove barriers to adopting automated electronic organ donor referrals in health systems nationwide so we can give hope to patients waiting for the gift of life."

“There are over 100,000 Americans on the national transplant waiting list. As lawmakers, we have a responsibility to improve and modernize the organ donation process,” said Congresswoman McClellan. “The bipartisan Organ Donation Referral Improvement Act will study the potential for automated electronic donor referrals, reducing the barriers to successful organ transplantation and ultimately saving lives.”

The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO), National Kidney Foundation (NKF), American Kidney Fund (AKF), LifeNet Health, Infinite Legacy, American Society of Transplant Surgeons, American Society of Transplantation (AST), New Jersey Sharing Network, Kidney Transplant Collaborative, Waitlist Zero, and LifeCenter Northwest endorse the bill.

“The Organ Donation Referral Improvement Act is a critical step towards supporting the national adoption of automated electronic deceased donor referral technology,” said Maureen McBride from UNOS. “Eight lives can be saved by just one organ donor. One small-scale study found that deploying automated deceased organ donor referral systems increased organ donors by 333%. The widespread use of such technology could increase the number of organs available for transplant and ultimately increase the number of Americans who receive lifesaving organ transplants.”

“The Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) supports the Organ Donation Referral Improvement Act,” said Dorrie Dils from AOPO. “We commend Representative Wittman for his dedication and leadership on this important issue.”

Kevin Longino from NKF stated that better data would lead to improvements in streamlining processes and saving more lives.

LaVarne A. Burton from AKF emphasized dedicating resources toward effective measures in transplant systems.

LifeNet Health Executive Director Todd Hubler noted benefits like earlier identification of donors through automatic referrals.

Charlie Alexander from Infinite Legacy praised Congressman Wittman's efforts in advancing this legislation.

Ginny L. Bumgardner from American Society of Transplant Surgeons highlighted their commitment to modernizing transplant ecosystems with data-driven studies proposed in this legislation.

Eliane Perlman from Waitlist Zero expressed full support for thoughtful studies under this act.

Automated electronic deceased organ donor referrals are designed to refer potential donors efficiently using hospital EHR systems while relieving hospital staff burdens associated with manual reporting.