Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
Quality Improvement/Evidence of Therapy
This section describes current quality improvement and evidence of therapy programs of the Federal government related to chronic kidney disease.
Funded by HRSA, the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) is the unified transplant network established by the U.S. Congress under the National Organ Transplant Act (NOTA) of 1984. The OPTN is a unique public-private partnership that links all of the professionals involved in the donation and transplantation system. The primary goals of the OPTN are to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of organ sharing and equity in the national system of organ allocation by establishing and maintaining policies and procedures for the field of transplantation, and to increase the supply of donated organs available for transplantation.
The OPTN efforts related to quality improvement include providing data to the government, the public, students, researchers, and the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients for use in improving the field of solid organ allocation and transplantation.
NOTA also established the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR), which is a national database of statistics related to solid organ transplantation. Its purpose is to support the development of sound policy, to encourage research on issues of importance to the transplant community, and to facilitate responsible analysis of transplant programs and organ procurement organizations. The registry covers the full range of transplant activity, from organ donation and waiting list candidates to transplant recipients and survival statistics.
Contact Information
Richard Durbin
Acting Director, Division of Transplantation
Phone: 301–443–6804
Email: RDurbin@hrsa.gov
Web: www.ask.hrsa.gov/Organ.cfm
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Scientific Research
This section describes basic and clinical research activities supported or sponsored by the Federal government.
The Clinical Interventions to Increase Organ Procurement provides support for the implementation and evaluation of highly promising strategies and approaches that can serve as model interventions for identifying appropriate donation candidates, evaluating donated organs, maintaining donor stability, and optimizing methods for organ procurement. The ultimate goal of this grant program is to increase the number of deceased donor organs (e.g. heart, liver, lung, pancreas, kidney, and intestine) in the United States.
HRSA has an Interagency Agreement with the NIH to provide additional funding for the NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ Clinical Outcomes of Live Organ Donors Consortium. This consortium will plan and execute studies that address the outcomes of living kidney and lung donors.
The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) collects and manages scientific data about organ donation and transplantation. Additionally, HRSA’s Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR), a national database of statistics related to solid organ transplantation, supports the development of sound policy, encourages research on issues of importance to the transplant community, and facilitates responsible analysis of transplant programs and organ procurement organizations.
Contact Information
Richard Durbin
Acting Director, Division of Transplantation
Phone: 301–443–6804
Email: RDurbin@hrsa.gov
Web: www.ask.hrsa.gov/Organ.cfm
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Public Education & Outreach
This section describes current outreach and education programs of the Federal government related to chronic kidney disease.
HRSA promotes public awareness of and support for organ donation though public education activities, materials development and promotion, and innovative partnerships.
Examples of print materials for public distribution include brochures, calendars, and HRSA’s “Health Passports for Life,” which provide information for the general public on organ donation and healthful living. Other efforts include, “Workplace Partnership for Life,” which focuses on raising awareness of and support for organ donation among employees in large workplaces throughout the United States; and “Decision: Donation,” a model instructional package for high school students about the importance of organ and tissue donation.
Other public education activities include traffic sponsorships/radio ads as well as a partnership between transplant professionals and the nonprofit contractor, Hollywood, Health & Society, to promote a more accurate depiction of donation and transplantation in television programming. HRSA started and continues to be supportive of the National Donor Sabbath, which is an opportunity for members of various faiths to reflect on the act of donation and takes place two weekends before Thanksgiving every year.
HRSA developed and makes available to the public two documentaries (available on DVD) on organ donation and transplantation. Emmy award winning “No Greater Love” highlights the joys of life saved by transplant and the tragedies of lives lost because of organ shortage. “A Science of Miracles” chronicles the evolution of the incredible science of transplant surgery.
Contact Information
Richard Durbin
Acting Director, Division of Transplantation
Phone: 301–443–6804
Email: RDurbin@hrsa.gov
Web: www.ask.hrsa.gov/Organ.cfm
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Delivery & Payment of CKD Care
This section describes activities related to the delivery and payment of chronic kidney disease care supported or sponsored by the Federal government.
The primary goals of the OPTN are to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of organ sharing and equity in the national system of organ allocation by establishing and maintaining policies and procedures for the field of transplantation, and to increase the supply of donated organs available for transplantation.
The OPTN efforts related to delivery of care include:
- Facilitating the organ matching and placement process through the use of the computer system and a fully staffed Organ Center operating 24 hours a day;
- Developing consensus based policies and procedures for organ recovery, distribution (allocation), and transportation;
- And maintaining a secure Web-based computer system, which maintains the nation's organ transplant waiting list and recipient/donor organ characteristics.
As of February 2009, there were 100,816 candidates in the waitlist, of which 78,565 (77.9%) were waiting for a kidney transplant. Of these candidates, 60% have been on the waitlist between 30 days to two years, 16.6% between two to three years, 16.9% between three to five years, and 10.8% for five or more years.
Contact Information
Richard Durbin
Acting Director, Division of Transplantation
Phone: 301–443–6804
Email: RDurbin@hrsa.gov
Web: www.ask.hrsa.gov/Organ.cfm
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Professional Education & Outreach
This section describes education and outreach to health professionals of the Federal government related to chronic kidney disease.
The US Organ Donation Breakthrough Collaborative (ODBC), which began in 2003 at the request of the Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services, is a formal, concerted effort of the donation and transplantation community to bring about a major change to improve the organ donation system. Housed within HRSA’s Division of Transplantation, ODBC includes participation of the organ procurement organizations (OPOs) throughout the United States and the American hospitals with the largest organ-donor potential. Since 2003, the number of hospitals that have achieved the goal of transplanting 75 percent of eligible donors has increased from 55 to 301 (as of 2007).
HRSA is also launching a Primary Care Project to target and encourage primary care physicians and their professional staff to engage in discussions about organ donation with their patients. This initiative is based on survey data suggesting that the American public feels organ donation is a health care issue and that the primary care doctor is the professional with whom they want to discuss it.
Other activities include the development and dissemination of materials to encourage physicians to talk with their patients about organ donation and encourage physicians to see this as part of routine patient care. The Primary Care Donation Kit includes posters, table top displays, informational cards, tear-off pads, physician’s question and answer cards, and an instructional/informational DVD.
Contact Information
Richard Durbin
Acting Director, Division of Transplantation
Phone: 301–443–6804
Email: RDurbin@hrsa.gov
Web: www.ask.hrsa.gov/Organ.cfm
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Surveillance
This section describes surveillance activities and programs of the Federal government related to chronic kidney disease.
The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) collects and manages scientific data about organ donation and transplantation. OPTN maintains a secure Web-based computer system, which maintains the nation's organ transplant waiting list and recipient/donor organ characteristics.
The Disease Transmission Advisory Committee (DTAC) is an ad hoc Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network committee composed of organ procurement organizations, transplant center coordinators, transplant surgeons, and infectious disease, malignancy, and pathology specialists.
One of the Operations Committee’s directives is patient safety and disease transmission events. DTAC assists the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) staff, organ procurement organizations and transplant centers during a disease transmission event.
Contact Information
Richard Durbin
Acting Director, Division of Transplantation
Phone: 301–443–6804
Email: RDurbin@hrsa.gov
Web: www.ask.hrsa.gov/Organ.cfm
This information was reviewed by KICC agency representatives. It may not reflect new or future agency activities. For more information, please contact the listed representatives. |
