July 22, 2025.
The American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS) appreciated the efforts of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations related to the 2021 case of a potential organ donor in Kentucky and subsequent other donor cases managed by the Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KYDA) organ procurement organization. The U.S. has the most effective transplant system in the world and we need to make certain it continues with the appropriate parties working collaboratively. The National Organ Transplant Act established a framework for federal oversight in partnership with a multidisciplinary community of experts to guide coordination of the national system of organ donation and transplantation that includes standards of practice to protect the public interest and to assure equitable access, value and safety of the transplant system. When concerns arise that practice standards are not being followed appropriately, an in-depth multidisciplinary peer review is mandatory for the public to understand the deficiencies and a vetted investigation is needed so that subsequent interventions provide the best solutions or appropriate sanctions to rectify the issue(s) identified. The ASTS has a strong track record of education and training, competency based assessments and development of safe standards of surgical practice. We are ready to share our expertise and experience to partner with the federal government and its agencies to further improve transplantation for the American public.
ASTS looks forward to working with HRSA and is supportive of changes to organ transplantation and donation to best serve transplant recipients, organ donors, their families, and the surgeons, physicians, and transplant teams who care for them. Given the complexity and breadth of this endeavor, we especially appreciate that HRSA said it will work in close coordination with all stakeholders, and we commit to helping them in an iterative and well-informed process. We strongly believe that any changes to the system must carefully weigh the impact of any changes addressed well in advance of implementing those changes. We also urge HHS to take this opportunity to coordinate the efforts of all agencies within the department to significantly increase access to transplantation and to address existing disparities.