Henrico Times

Congressman Rob Wittman has reintroduced the Organ Donation Referral Improvement Act, a bipartisan initiative aimed at enhancing the organ donation referral process through automated software tools. The legislation is co-led by Representatives Jennifer McClellan, Jim Costa, and Mariannette Miller-Meeks.

The proposed act intends to improve patient safety by automating the referral of potential organ donors, thereby reducing manual efforts by hospital staff and minimizing human error. Congressman Wittman stated, "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."

Congresswoman McClellan highlighted the importance of donor referrals in life-and-death situations: "Over 100,000 Americans currently await organ transplants... The bipartisan Organ Donation Referral Improvement Act will support data collection to assess the utility of automated electronic donor referral tools."

Congressman Costa emphasized that automating donor referrals would enhance patient care and increase efficiency in the transplant system. Congresswoman Miller-Meeks noted that improving this process is crucial for better healthcare outcomes.

The bill has garnered support from various organizations including the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO), National Kidney Foundation (NKF), among others. Maureen McBride from UNOS remarked on its significance: “This technology will lift the burden of manual reporting off busy hospital staff... Nationwide implementation would reduce the number of people waiting for a lifesaving transplant.”

Ginny L. Bumgardner from the American Society of Transplant Surgeons also endorsed it, stating that it would optimize system efficiency and save lives through organ donation.

President Dorrie Dils from AOPO praised Representative Wittman's commitment to advancing this legislation: "Our member Organ Procurement Organizations understand the impact of automatic referrals in accelerating donor identification."

LifeNet Health's Todd Hubler acknowledged that automatic electronic donor referrals could support earlier identification and reduce administrative errors.

Sean T. Connaughton from Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association underscored its critical importance given that 17 people die daily waiting for an organ transplant.

The background information highlights how automated electronic deceased organ donor referrals work with hospital EHR systems to flag potential donors and send information to collaborating OPOs.