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Doby BL, Casey K, Ross-Driscoll K, Rahman Ovi M, Hossain Bhuiyea MS, Isty IA, Lynch RJ. What is visible is fixable: Visual dashboards for multi-domain assessment of organ procurement organization performance. Am J Transplant 2023; 23:1793-1799. [PMID: 37657653 PMCID: PMC11082780 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajt.2023.08.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/03/2023]
Abstract
With stakeholder focus on the United States organ procurement system, there is a need for tools that permit comparative assessment of organ procurement providers. We developed a public-facing dashboard for organ procurement organizations (OPOs), using data from multiple sources, to create an online, readily accessible visualization of OPO practice conditions and performance for the period 2010-2020. With this tool, OPOs can be compared on the CMS metric of donors procured per 100 donation-consistent deaths, as well as donation after circulatory death procurement, procurement of older and minority patient populations, procurement in smaller hospitals, and procurement of patients without a significant drug history. Patterns of higher performance were identified, and 74% of differences in overall donor procurement rates could be explained using model variables. Procurement differences were affected to a greater and more reproducible degree by OPO performance among Black and non-White patient populations, as well as in smaller hospitals, than by donation service area characteristics. Dashboards such as ours support OPOs and stakeholders in quality improvement actions, through leveraging benchmarked performance data among organ procurement clinical providers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kylie Casey
- River City Pulmonology, Baptist Health System, San Antonio, Texas, USA; Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Katie Ross-Driscoll
- Department of Surgery, Division of Transplantation, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Musaddiqur Rahman Ovi
- Department of Statistics, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet-3411, Bangladesh
| | | | - Istiak Ahmed Isty
- Department of Statistics, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet-3411, Bangladesh
| | - Raymond J Lynch
- Department of Surgery, Division of Transplantation, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Departments of Surgery and Public Health, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA.
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Ross-Driscoll K, Gunasti J, Ayuk-Arrey AT, Adler JT, Axelrod D, McElroy L, Patzer RE, Lynch R. Identifying and understanding variation in population-based access to liver transplantation in the United States. Am J Transplant 2023; 23:1401-1410. [PMID: 37302576 PMCID: PMC10529375 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajt.2023.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Revised: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
We aimed to identify variations in liver transplant access across transplant referral regions (TRRs), accounting for differences in population characteristics and practice environments. Adult end-stage liver disease (ESLD) deaths and liver waitlist additions from 2015 to 2019 were included. The primary outcome was listing-to-death ratio (LDR). We modeled the LDR as a continuous variable and obtained adjusted LDR estimates for each TRR, accounting for clinical and demographic characteristics of ESLD decedents, socioeconomic and health care environment within the TRR, and characteristics of the transplant environment. The overall mean LDR was 0.24 (range: 0.10-0.53). In the final model, proportion of patients living in poverty and concentrated poverty was negatively associated with LDR; organ donation rate was positively associated with LDR. The R2 was 0.60, indicating that 60% of the variability in LDR was explained by the model. Approximately 40% of this variation remained unexplained and may be due to transplant center behaviors amenable to intervention to improve access to care for patients with ESLD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie Ross-Driscoll
- Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Health Services Research Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
| | - Jonathan Gunasti
- Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Health Services Research Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Arrey-Takor Ayuk-Arrey
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Health Services Research Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Joel T Adler
- Division of Abdominal Transplantation, Department of Surgery and Perioperative Care, Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - David Axelrod
- Solid Organ Transplant Center, Department of Surgery, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Lisa McElroy
- Division of Abdominal Transplantation, Department of Surgery and Population Health Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Rachel E Patzer
- Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Health Services Research Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Raymond Lynch
- Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Health Services Research Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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Stewart D, Hasz R, Lonze B. Beyond donation to organ utilization in the USA. Curr Opin Organ Transplant 2023; 28:197-206. [PMID: 36912063 DOI: 10.1097/mot.0000000000001060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/14/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW The deceased donor organ pool has broadened beyond young, otherwise healthy head trauma victims. But an abundance of donated organs only benefits patients if they are accepted, expeditiously transported and actually transplanted. This review focuses on postdonation challenges and opportunities to increase the number of transplants through improved organ utilization. RECENT FINDINGS We build upon recently proposed changes in terminology for measuring organ utilization. Among organs recovered for transplant, the nonuse rate (NUR REC ) has risen above 25% for kidneys and pancreata. Among donors, the nonuse rate (NUR DON ) has risen to 40% for livers and exceeds 70% for thoracic organs. Programme-level variation in offer acceptance rates vastly exceeds variation in the traditional, 1-year survival benchmark. Key opportunities to boost utilization include donation after circulatory death and hepatitis C virus (HCV)+ organs; acute kidney injury and suboptimal biopsy kidneys; older and steatotic livers. SUMMARY Underutilization of less-than-ideal, yet transplant-worthy organs remains an obstacle to maximizing the impact of the U.S. transplant system. The increased risk of inferior posttransplant outcomes must always be weighed against the risks of remaining on the waitlist. Advanced perfusion technologies; tuning allocation systems for placement efficiency; and data-driven clinical decision support have the potential to increase utilization of medically complex organs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darren Stewart
- Department of Surgery, NYU Langone Health, New York, New York
| | - Richard Hasz
- Gift of Life Donor Program, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Bonnie Lonze
- Department of Surgery, NYU Langone Health, New York, New York
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Johnson W, Kraft K, Chotai P, Lynch R, Dittus RS, Goldberg D, Ye F, Doby B, Schaubel DE, Shah MB, Karp SJ. Variability in Organ Procurement Organization Performance by Individual Hospital in the United States. JAMA Surg 2023; 158:404-409. [PMID: 36753195 PMCID: PMC9909569 DOI: 10.1001/jamasurg.2022.7853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
Importance Availability of organs inadequately addresses the need of patients waiting for a transplant. Objective To estimate the true number of donor patients in the United States and identify inefficiencies in the donation process as a way to guide system improvement. Design, Setting, and Participants A retrospective cross-sectional analysis was performed of organ donation across 13 different hospitals in 2 donor service areas covered by 2 organ procurement organizations (OPOs) in 2017 and 2018 to compare donor potential to actual donors. More than 2000 complete medical records for decedents were reviewed as a sample of nearly 9000 deaths. Data were analyzed from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2018. Exposure Deaths of causes consistent with donation according to medical record review, ventilated patient referrals, center acceptance practices, and actual deceased donors. Main Outcomes and Measures Potential donors by medical record review vs actual donors and OPO performance at specific hospitals. Results Compared with 242 actual donors, 931 potential donors were identified at these hospitals. This suggests a deceased donor potential of 3.85 times (95% CI, 4.23-5.32) the actual number of donors recovered. There was a surprisingly wide variability in conversion of potential donor patients into actual donors among the hospitals studied, from 0% to 51.0%. One OPO recovered 18.8% of the potential donors, whereas the second recovered 48.2%. The performance of the OPOs was moderately related to referrals of ventilated patients and not related to center acceptance practices. Conclusions and Relevance In this cross-sectional study of hospitals served by 2 OPOs, wide variation was found in the performance of the OPOs, especially at individual hospitals. Addressing this opportunity could greatly increase the organ supply, affirming the importance of recent efforts from the federal government to increase OPO accountability and transparency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wali Johnson
- Section of Surgical Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Kathryn Kraft
- Division of Abdominal Transplant Surgery, University of Kentucky, Lexington
| | - Pranit Chotai
- Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus
| | - Raymond Lynch
- Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Robert S. Dittus
- Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare Center, Nashville
| | - David Goldberg
- Division of Digestive Health and Liver Diseases, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida
| | - Fei Ye
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Brianna Doby
- Department of Public Health Sciences, New Mexico State University, College of Health, Education, and Social Transformation, Las Cruces
| | - Douglas E. Schaubel
- Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia
| | - Malay B. Shah
- Division of Abdominal Transplant Surgery, University of Kentucky, Lexington
| | - Seth J. Karp
- Section of Surgical Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
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Predmore Z, Doby B, Bozzi DG, Durand C, Segev D, Sugarman J, Tobian AA, Wu AW. Barriers experienced by organ procurement organizations in implementing the HOPE act and HIV-positive organ donation. AIDS Care 2022; 34:1144-1150. [PMID: 34180726 PMCID: PMC8725194 DOI: 10.1080/09540121.2021.1945999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
In the seven years since the HIV Organ Policy Equity (HOPE) Act made HIV-positive organ donation to HIV-positive recipients legally permissible in the United States, there have been fewer HIV-positive organ donations than expected. Organ procurement organizations (OPOs) play a key role in the transplant system and barriers at OPOs may be partly responsible for the relatively low number of HIV-positive donors. To understand potential OPO barriers, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 OPO staff members. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a conventional content analytic approach with two coders. OPO staff had high levels of knowledge about HOPE. Many had evaluated referrals of HIV-positive donors and approached families for authorization. Barriers to HIV-positive organ recovery identified included obtaining authorization for donation, potentially disclosing HIV status to next-of-kin, and fear of HIV infection among those engaged in organ recovery. Strategies to overcome these barriers include providing continuing education about the specific tasks required to procure organs from HIV-positive donors, implementing targeted interventions to reduce fear of infection, and developing partnerships with HIV advocacy and care organizations. Given the central role OPOs play, HIV-positive donations are unlikely to occur in significant numbers unless these barriers can be overcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary Predmore
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
| | | | - Debra G. Bozzi
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
| | - Christine Durand
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Dorry Segev
- Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Jeremy Sugarman
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Berman Institute of Bioethics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
| | - Aaron A.R. Tobian
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Albert W. Wu
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
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Chan E, Logan AJ, Sneddon JM, Singh N, Brock GN, Washburn WK, Schenk AD. Dynamic impact of liver allocation policy change on donor utilization. Am J Transplant 2022; 22:1901-1908. [PMID: 35182000 PMCID: PMC9544006 DOI: 10.1111/ajt.17006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2021] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Liver allocation policy was changed to reduce variance in median MELD scores at transplant (MMaT) in February 2020. "Acuity circles" replaced local allocation. Understanding the impact of policy change on donor utilization is important. Ideal (I), standard (S), and non-ideal (NI) donors were defined. NI donors include older, higher BMI donors with elevated transaminases or bilirubin, history of hepatitis B or C, and all DCD donors. Utilization of I, S, and NI donors was established before and after allocation change and compared between low MELD (LM) centers (MMaT ≤ 28 before allocation change) and high MELD (HM) centers (MMaT > 28). Following reallocation, transplant volume increased nationally (67 transplants/center/year pre, 74 post, p .0006) and increased for both HM and LM centers. LM centers significantly increased use of NI donors and HM centers significantly increased use of I and S donors. Centers further stratify based on donor utilization phenotype. A subset of centers increased transplant volume despite rising MMaT by broadening organ acceptance criteria, increasing use of all donor types including DCD donors (98% increase), increasing living donation, and transplanting more frequently for alcohol associated liver disease. Variance in donor utilization can undermine intended effects of allocation policy change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ethan Chan
- Department of SurgeryThe Ohio State University Wexner Medical CenterColumbusOhio
| | - April J. Logan
- Department of SurgeryThe Ohio State University Wexner Medical CenterColumbusOhio
| | - Jeffrey M. Sneddon
- Department of SurgeryThe Ohio State University Wexner Medical CenterColumbusOhio
| | - Navdeep Singh
- Department of SurgeryThe Ohio State University Wexner Medical CenterColumbusOhio
| | - Guy N. Brock
- Department of SurgeryThe Ohio State University Wexner Medical CenterColumbusOhio
| | - William K. Washburn
- Department of SurgeryThe Ohio State University Wexner Medical CenterColumbusOhio
| | - Austin D. Schenk
- Department of SurgeryThe Ohio State University Wexner Medical CenterColumbusOhio
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7
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Doby BL, Ross-Driscoll K, Yu S, Godwin M, Lee KJ, Lynch RJ. Examining utilization of kidneys as a function of procurement performance. Am J Transplant 2022; 22:1614-1623. [PMID: 35118830 PMCID: PMC9762681 DOI: 10.1111/ajt.16985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2021] [Revised: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Questions have arisen around new metrics for organ procurement organizations (OPO) due to the perception that low-performing OPOs may be limited by local centers' acceptance of marginal organs. We reviewed 2013-2019 Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OTPN) and National Centers for Health Statistics (NCHS) data to explore the relationship between objectively measured OPO performance and utilization of deceased donor kidneys. We found that although donor recovery declined with rising age and kidney donor profile index (KDPI), OPO performance differences were evident within each age/KDPI group. By contrast, the number of discards per donor did not vary with OPO performance. Centers in donor service areas (DSAs) with lower-performing OPOs had higher local utilization and greater import of high-KDPI kidneys than did those with higher-performing OPOs. Lower rates of donor availability relative to waitlist additions may contribute to observed center acceptance behavior. Differences in center-level performance were highly visible in Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) organ acceptance metrics, while SRTR OPO metrics did not detect large or persistent variation in procurement performance. Cumulatively, our findings suggest that objective measures of procurement performance can inform discussions of organ utilization, allowing for alignment of metrics in all elements of the procurement-transplantation system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brianna L. Doby
- Positive Rhetoric LLC, Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA,College of Health, Education, and Social Transformation, Department of Public Health Sciences, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA
| | - Katie Ross-Driscoll
- Department of Surgery, Division of Transplantation, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Sharon Yu
- Department of Surgery, Division of Transplantation, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Miriam Godwin
- National Kidney Foundation, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Kevin J. Lee
- Mid-America Transplant Services, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Raymond J. Lynch
- Department of Surgery, Division of Transplantation, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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8
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Milross L, Brown C, Gladkis L, Downes K, Goodwin M, Madden S, McDonald M, Barry L, Opdam H, Manara A, Gardiner D. Comparing Deceased Organ Donation Performance in Two Countries that Use Different Metrics: Comparing Apples With Apples. Transpl Int 2022; 35:10461. [PMID: 35634583 PMCID: PMC9136659 DOI: 10.3389/ti.2022.10461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Organ donation networks audit and report on national or regional organ donation performance, however there are inconsistencies in the metrics and definitions used, rendering comparisons difficult or inappropriate. This is despite multiple attempts exploring the possibility for convergently evolving audits so that collectives of donation networks might transparently share data and practice and then target system interventions. This paper represents a collaboration between the United Kingdom and Australian organ donation organisations which aimed to understand the intricacies of our respective auditing systems, compare the metrics and definitions they employ and ultimately assess their level of comparability. This point of view outlines the historical context underlying the development of the auditing tools, demonstrates their differences to the Critical Pathway proposed as a common tool a decade ago and presents a side-by-side comparison of donation definitions, metrics and data for the 2019 calendar year. There were significant differences in donation definition terminology, metrics and overall structure of the audits. Fitting the audits to a tiered scaffold allowed for reasonable comparisons however this required substantial effort and understanding of nuance. Direct comparison of international and inter-regional donation performance is challenging and would benefit from consistent auditing processes across organisations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke Milross
- Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation, NHS Blood and Transplant, Bristol, United Kingdom
- *Correspondence: Luke Milross,
| | - Chloe Brown
- Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation, NHS Blood and Transplant, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Laura Gladkis
- Organ and Tissue Authority, Canberra, NSW, Australia
| | - Kylie Downes
- Organ and Tissue Authority, Canberra, NSW, Australia
| | | | - Susanna Madden
- Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation, NHS Blood and Transplant, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Mark McDonald
- Organ and Tissue Authority, Canberra, NSW, Australia
| | - Lucinda Barry
- Organ and Tissue Authority, Canberra, NSW, Australia
| | - Helen Opdam
- Organ and Tissue Authority, Canberra, NSW, Australia
| | - Alex Manara
- Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation, NHS Blood and Transplant, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Dale Gardiner
- Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation, NHS Blood and Transplant, Bristol, United Kingdom
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Delman AM, Turner KM, Ammann AM, Schepers E, Vaysburg DM, Cortez AR, Van Haren RM, Wilson GC, Shah SA, Quillin RC. The volume - Outcomes relationship in donation after circulatory death liver transplantation. Clin Transplant 2022; 36:e14658. [PMID: 35377507 PMCID: PMC9287056 DOI: 10.1111/ctr.14658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Revised: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Background Donation after circulatory death (DCD) liver transplantation (LT) has become an effective mechanism for expanding the donor pool and decreasing waitlist mortality. However, it is unclear if low‐volume DCD centers can achieve comparable outcomes to high‐volume centers. Methods From 2011 to 2019 utilizing the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) database, liver transplant centers were categorized into tertiles based on their annual volume of DCD LTs. Donor selection, recipient selection, and survival outcomes were compared between very‐low volume (VLV, n = 1–2 DCD LTs per year), low‐volume (LV, n = 3–5), and high‐volume (HV, n > 5) centers.
Results One hundred and ten centers performed 3273 DCD LTs. VLV‐centers performed 339 (10.4%), LV‐centers performed 627 (19.2%), and HV‐centers performed 2307 (70.4%) LTs. 30‐day, 90‐day, and 1‐year patient and graft survival were significantly increased at HV‐centers (all P < .05). Recipients at HV‐centers had shorter waitlist durations (P < .01) and shorter hospital lengths of stay (P < .01). On multivariable regression, undergoing DCD LT at a VLV‐center or LV‐center was associated with increased 1‐year patient mortality (VLV‐OR:1.73, 1.12–2.69) (LV‐OR: 1.42, 1.01–2.00) and 1‐year graft failure (VLV‐OR: 1.79, 1.24–2.58) (LV‐OR: 1.28, .95–1.72).
Discussion Increased annual DCD liver transplant volume is associated with improved patient and graft survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron M Delman
- Cincinnati Research in Outcomes and Safety in Surgery (CROSS) Research Group. Department of Surgery, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. CARE/Crawley Building, Suite E-870 Eden Avenue, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Kevin M Turner
- Cincinnati Research in Outcomes and Safety in Surgery (CROSS) Research Group. Department of Surgery, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. CARE/Crawley Building, Suite E-870 Eden Avenue, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Allison M Ammann
- Cincinnati Research in Outcomes and Safety in Surgery (CROSS) Research Group. Department of Surgery, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. CARE/Crawley Building, Suite E-870 Eden Avenue, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Emily Schepers
- Cincinnati Research in Outcomes and Safety in Surgery (CROSS) Research Group. Department of Surgery, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. CARE/Crawley Building, Suite E-870 Eden Avenue, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Dennis M Vaysburg
- Cincinnati Research in Outcomes and Safety in Surgery (CROSS) Research Group. Department of Surgery, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. CARE/Crawley Building, Suite E-870 Eden Avenue, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Alex R Cortez
- Cincinnati Research in Outcomes and Safety in Surgery (CROSS) Research Group. Department of Surgery, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. CARE/Crawley Building, Suite E-870 Eden Avenue, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Robert M Van Haren
- Cincinnati Research in Outcomes and Safety in Surgery (CROSS) Research Group. Department of Surgery, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. CARE/Crawley Building, Suite E-870 Eden Avenue, Cincinnati, OH, USA.,Division of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Greg C Wilson
- Cincinnati Research in Outcomes and Safety in Surgery (CROSS) Research Group. Department of Surgery, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. CARE/Crawley Building, Suite E-870 Eden Avenue, Cincinnati, OH, USA.,Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Shimul A Shah
- Cincinnati Research in Outcomes and Safety in Surgery (CROSS) Research Group. Department of Surgery, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. CARE/Crawley Building, Suite E-870 Eden Avenue, Cincinnati, OH, USA.,Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Ralph C Quillin
- Cincinnati Research in Outcomes and Safety in Surgery (CROSS) Research Group. Department of Surgery, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. CARE/Crawley Building, Suite E-870 Eden Avenue, Cincinnati, OH, USA.,Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
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10
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Rausch LA, Niederhaus SV, Forbes RC. Removal of DSA from KP/Pancreas Allocation. CURRENT TRANSPLANTATION REPORTS 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s40472-022-00356-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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11
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Held PJ, Bragg-Gresham JL, Peters TG, McCormick F, Chertow G, Vaughan WP, Roberts JP. Cost Structures of US Organ Procurement Organizations. Transplantation 2021; 105:2612-2619. [PMID: 33988344 DOI: 10.1097/tp.0000000000003667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The goal is to provide a national analysis of organ procurement organization (OPO) costs. METHODS Five years of data, for 51 of the 58 OPOs (2013-2017, a near census) were obtained under a FOIA. OPOs are not-for-profit federal contractors with a geographic monopoly. A generalized 15-factor cost regression model was estimated with adjustments to precision of estimates (P) for repeated observations. Selected measures were validated by comparison to IRS forms. RESULTS Decease donor organ procurement is a $1B/y operation with over 26 000 transplants/y. Over 60% of the cost of an organ is overhead. Profits are $2.3M/OPO/y. Total assets are $45M/OPO and growing at 9%/y. "Tissue" (skin, bones) generates $2-3M profit/OPO/y. A comparison of the highest with the lower costing OPOs showed our model explained 75% of the cost difference. Comparing costs across OPOs showed that highest-cost OPOs are smaller, import 44% more kidneys, face 6% higher labor costs, report 98% higher compensation for support personnel, spend 46% more on professional education, have 44% fewer assets, compensate their Executive Director 36% less, and have a lower procurement performance (SDRR) score. CONCLUSIONS Profits and assets suggest that OPOs are fiscally secure and OPO finances are not a source of the organ shortage. Asset accumulation ($45M/OPO) of incumbents suggests establishing a competitive market with new entrants is unlikely. Kidney-cost allocations support tissue procurements. Professional education spending does not reduce procurement costs. OPO importing of organs from other OPOs is a complex issue possibly increasing cost ($6K/kidney).
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip J Held
- Division of Nephrology, Stanford University of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA
| | | | - Thomas G Peters
- Department of Surgery, University of Florida, Jacksonville, FL
| | | | - Glenn Chertow
- Division of Nephrology, Stanford University of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA
| | | | - John P Roberts
- Abdominal Transplantation, Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
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12
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Roth EM, Haque OJ, Yuan Q, Kotton CN, Markmann JF, Eckhoff DE, Elias N. Heterogeneity in transplant center responses to the minimum acceptance criteria across UNOS regions. Clin Transplant 2021; 36:e14551. [PMID: 34843130 DOI: 10.1111/ctr.14551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Transplantation of organs from increased risk donors for infection transmission (IRDs) is increasing. These organs confer survival benefit to recipients. This study examined transplant center acceptance policies for IRD kidneys across United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) regions, based on transplant centers' annual responses to the Minimum Acceptance Criteria (MAC) for acceptance of IRD kidneys, and the association with national and regional IRD kidney utilization. De-identified MAC responses from all transplant centers in the United States from 2007 to 2019 were obtained. Implementation of MAC responses into practice was evaluated based on annual rates of recovery and transplantation of IRD kidneys, by MAC and UNOS region. Nationally, the number of transplant centers willing to accept IRD kidneys across all criteria increased from 22% in 2007 to 64% in 2019. Acceptance rates increased markedly from donors with intravenous drug use and other potential HIV exposures. However, significant heterogeneity exists in transplant center willingness to accept IRD kidneys, both regionally and between criteria. Trends towards increasing acceptance are strongly associated with higher rates of recovery and transplantation of IRD kidneys. Further research on provider- and center-based refusal to consider IRD kidneys for waitlisted patients is needed to improve utilization of this organ pool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eve M Roth
- Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Omar J Haque
- Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Division of Transplant Surgery, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Center for Transplantation Sciences, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Qing Yuan
- Department of Urology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Camille N Kotton
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Transplant Infectious Disease and Compromised Host Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - James F Markmann
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Division of Transplant Surgery, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Center for Transplantation Sciences, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Devin E Eckhoff
- Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Nahel Elias
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Division of Transplant Surgery, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Center for Transplantation Sciences, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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13
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Yuan Q, Haque O, Yeh H, Markmann JF, Dageforde LA. The impact of race and comorbid conditions on adult liver transplant outcomes in obese recipients. Transpl Int 2021; 34:2834-2845. [PMID: 34580936 DOI: 10.1111/tri.14125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Revised: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Many prior studies comparing liver transplant outcomes between obese and nonobese recipients found no significant differences in survival. However, obesity is intrinsically associated with demographic factors such as race and comorbidities. Thus, this work aimed to analyze the effects of obesity, in conjunction with these factors, on liver transplant outcomes. OPTN data was analyzed to identify adult-only, first-time liver transplants between 1995 and 2019. Obesity was defined by the CDC obesity classification. Race, insurance status, age, and comorbidities were analyzed together with patient survival and graft survival using a multivariable Cox Proportional-Hazards model and long-term survival with Kaplan-Meier curves. The multivariable models found that being black, older than 50 years, having diabetes, or having nonprivate insurance were all risk factors for both patient survival and graft survival after liver transplant. Adjusting for obesity class, black recipients had a 20% lower patient survival and 23% lower graft survival compared with nonblack recipients. Survival curves verified that obese black liver transplant recipients had poorer long-term patient survival and graft survival compared with both obese nonblack and nonobese recipients. In conclusion, obesity compounds known factors associated with poor outcomes after liver transplantation. Further work is critical to understand why these discrepancies persist.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Yuan
- Department of Urology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.,Department of Surgery, Center for Transplantation Sciences, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Omar Haque
- Department of Surgery, Center for Transplantation Sciences, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Surgery, Beth Issrael Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Center for Engineering in Medicine and Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Shriners Hospitals for Children, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Heidi Yeh
- Department of Surgery, Center for Transplantation Sciences, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - James F Markmann
- Department of Surgery, Center for Transplantation Sciences, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Leigh Anne Dageforde
- Department of Surgery, Center for Transplantation Sciences, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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14
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Predmore Z, Doby B, Durand CM, Segev DL, Sugarman J, Tobian AAR, Wu AW. Potential donor characteristics and decisions made by organ procurement organization staff: Results of a discrete choice experiment. Transpl Infect Dis 2021; 23:e13721. [PMID: 34463013 DOI: 10.1111/tid.13721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Revised: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Organ procurement organizations (OPOs) evaluate referrals for deceased organ donation in the United States. Efforts to expand the donor pool, such as the HIV organ policy equity (HOPE) Act that permits transplants from HIV-positive donors to HIV-positive recipients, can only succeed if OPOs pursue referrals. However, relatively little is known about how OPO staff evaluate referrals. To better understand this process, OPO staff completed a discrete choice experiment to quantify the relative importance of seven donor characteristics on the decision to pursue a theoretical donor. Relative importance was defined by Partworth utility using a hierarchical Bayesian conditional logit model. There were 51 respondents from 36 of 58 OPOs in the United States. Of the seven attributes, organ and tissue potential were the most influential, followed by age, type of death, HIV status, donor registration, and Hepatitis C status. To be preferred to an HIV-negative donor, an HIV-positive donor needed to have the potential to donate two additional organs. These data provide insight into the preferences of OPO referral staff and may help explain the lower than expected number of HIV-positive transplants performed since the passage of the HOPE Act.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary Predmore
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Christine M Durand
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Dorry L Segev
- Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Jeremy Sugarman
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,Berman Institute of Bioethics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Aaron A R Tobian
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Albert W Wu
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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15
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Reexamining Risk Aversion: Willingness to Pursue and Utilize Nonideal Donor Livers Among US Donation Service Areas. Transplant Direct 2021; 7:e742. [PMID: 34386579 PMCID: PMC8352624 DOI: 10.1097/txd.0000000000001173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Revised: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 04/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Livers from "nonideal" but acceptable donors are underutilized; however, organ procurement organization (OPO) metrics do not assess how OPO-specific practices contribute to these trends. In this analysis, we evaluated nonideal liver donor avoidance or risk aversion among OPOs and within US donation service areas (DSAs). Methods Adult donors in the United Network for Organ Sharing registry who donated ≥1 organ for transplantation between 2007 and 2019 were included. Nonideal donors were defined by any of the following: age > 70, hepatitis C seropositive, body mass index > 40, donation after circulatory death, or history of malignancy. OPO-specific performance was evaluated based on rates of nonideal donor pursuit and consent attainment. DSA performance (OPO + transplant centers) was evaluated based on rates of nonideal donor pursuit, consent attainment, liver recovery, and transplantation. Lower rates were considered to represent increased donor avoidance or increased risk aversion. Results Of 97 911 donors, 31 799 (32.5%) were nonideal. Unadjusted OPO-level rates of nonideal donor pursuit ranged from 88% to 100%. In a 5-tier system of overall risk aversion, tier 5 DSAs (least risk-averse) and tier 1 DSAs (most risk-averse) had the highest and lowest respective rates of non-ideal donor pursuit, consent attainment, liver recovery, and transplantation. On average, recovery rates were over 25% higher among tier 5 versus tier 1 DSAs. If tier 1 DSAs had achieved the same average liver recovery rate as tier 5 DSAs, approximately 2100 additional livers could have been recovered during the study period. Conclusion Most OPOs aggressively pursue nonideal liver donors; however, recovery practices vary widely among DSAs. Fair OPO evaluations should consider early donation process stages to best disentangle OPO and center-level practices.
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16
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Doby BL, Ross-Driscoll K, Shuck M, Wadsworth M, Durand CM, Lynch RJ. Public discourse and policy change: Absence of harm from increased oversight and transparency in OPO performance. Am J Transplant 2021; 21:2646-2652. [PMID: 33565252 DOI: 10.1111/ajt.16527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2021] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced changes to the Final Rule for organ procurement organizations (OPOs) in November 2020, after a 23-month period of public debate. One concern among transplant stakeholders was that public focus on OPO underperformance would harm deceased donation. Using CDC-WONDER data, we studied whether donation performance dropped during the era of public debate about OPO reform (December 2018-February 2020). Overall OPO performance as measured relative to cause, age, and location-consistent deaths rose by 12.3% in 2019, compared to a median annual change of 2.5% 2009-2019. Organ recoveries exceeded seasonally adjusted forecasts by 4.2% in the first half of 2019, by 8.1% following the Executive Order issuing a mandate for OPO metric reform, and by 14.1% between the Notice of Public Rule Making and the onset of COVID-19-related systemic disruptions. We describe changes in donor phenotype in the period of increased performance; improvement was greatest for older and donation after cardiac death (DCD) donors, and among decedents who did not have a drug-related mechanism of death. In summary, performance during an era of intense public debate and proposed regulatory changes yielded 692 additional donors over expectations, and no detriment to organ donation was observed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brianna L Doby
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Katie Ross-Driscoll
- Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | | | | | - Christine M Durand
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Raymond J Lynch
- Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
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17
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Halpern SE, Jawitz OK, Raman V, Choi AY, Haney JC, Klapper JA, Hartwig MG. Aggressive pursuit and utilization of non-ideal donor lungs does not compromise post-lung transplant survival. Clin Transplant 2021; 35:e14414. [PMID: 34218467 DOI: 10.1111/ctr.14414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2021] [Revised: 06/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Organ procurement organizations (OPOs) vary in willingness to pursue and utilize non-ideal donor lungs; implications of these practices for lung transplant (LTx) recipients remain unclear. We examined associations between OPO-level behavior toward non-ideal donors and post-LTx outcomes. METHODS Adult lung donors and corresponding adult first-time LTx recipients in the 2008-2019 UNOS registry were included. Non-ideal donors had any of age > 50, smoking history ≥20 pack-years, PaO2 /FiO2 ratio ≤350, donation after circulatory death, or increased risk status. OPOs were classified as least, moderately, or most aggressive based on non-ideal donor pursuit, consent attainment, lung recovery, and transplantation. Post-transplant outcomes were compared among aggressiveness strata. RESULTS Of 22,795 recipients, 6229 (27.3%), 8256 (36.2%), and 8310 (36.5%) received lungs from least, moderately, and most aggressive OPOs, respectively. Moderately aggressive OPOs had the highest recipient rates of pre-discharge acute rejection, grade 3 primary graft dysfunction, postoperative extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and longest lengths of stay. After adjustment, moderately and most aggressive OPOs had similar risks of recipient mortality as least aggressive OPOs. CONCLUSIONS The most and least aggressive OPOs achieve similar patient survival and short-term post-LTx outcomes. Aggressive pursuit and utilization of non-ideal donor lungs by less aggressive OPOs would likely expand the donor pool, without compromising recipient outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Oliver K Jawitz
- Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Vignesh Raman
- Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Ashley Y Choi
- School of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - John C Haney
- Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jacob A Klapper
- Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Matthew G Hartwig
- Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
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18
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Doby BL, Hanner K, Johnson S, Purnell TS, Shah MB, Lynch RJ. Results of a data-driven performance improvement initiative in organ donation. Am J Transplant 2021; 21:2555-2562. [PMID: 33314706 DOI: 10.1111/ajt.16442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2020] [Revised: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
New metrics for organ procurement organization (OPO) performance utilize National Center for Health Statistics data to measure cause, age, and location consistent (CALC) deaths. We used this denominator to identify opportunities for improved donor conversion at one OPO, Indiana Donor Network (INOP). We sought to determine whether such analyses are immediately actionable for quality improvement (QI) initiatives directed at increased donor conversion. CALC-based assessment of INOP's performance revealed an opportunity to improve conversion of older donors. Following the QI initiative, INOP donor yield rose by 44%, while organs transplanted rose by 29%. These changes tolerated temporary disruption around the COVID-19 pandemic. Improved donor yield was primarily seen in older groups identified by CALC-based methods. Process changes in resource allocation and monitoring were associated with a 57% increase in the number of potential donors approached in the QI period and a subsequent rise in the number of potential donor referrals, suggesting positive feedback at area hospitals. Post-intervention, INOP's projected donation performance rose from 51st to 18th among all OPOs. OPOs can use CALC death data to accurately assess donor conversion by categories including age and race/ethnicity. These data can be used in real time to inform OPO-level processes to maximize donor recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brianna L Doby
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | | | | | - Tanjala S Purnell
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Malay B Shah
- Department of Surgery, Division of Abdominal Transplant Surgery, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, Kentucky
| | - Raymond J Lynch
- Department of Surgery, Division of Transplantation, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
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19
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Shah MB, Cummings LS, Gray SH, Dick AAS. Organ donation in diverse communities: The pitfalls of race correction. Clin Transplant 2021; 35:e14368. [PMID: 34041790 DOI: 10.1111/ctr.14368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2021] [Revised: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Malay B Shah
- Department of Surgery, Division of Transplantation, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Lee S Cummings
- Department of Surgery, University of Missouri at Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Stephen H Gray
- Department of Surgery, Division of Transplantation, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Andre A S Dick
- Department of Surgery, Division of Transplantation, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
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20
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Yuan Q, Haque O, Coe TM, Markmann JF. The Heterogenous Effect of COVID-19 on Liver Transplantation Activity and Waitlist Mortality in the United States. Front Surg 2021; 8:669129. [PMID: 34095209 PMCID: PMC8171664 DOI: 10.3389/fsurg.2021.669129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic curtailed the practice of liver transplantation (LT), which lacks a temporizing life-saving measure for candidates on the waitlist. Aims/Objectives: The objective of this research was to (1) determine the effect of decreased LT activity on waitlist mortality in the United States and (2) assess if this effect was homogenous across the country. Methods: We conducted a retrospective, cross-sectional analysis utilizing United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) data assessing 3,600 liver transplants from January 1, 2020 to June 2, 2020. COVID-19 incidence data was taken directly from the New York Times case count. Results: During weeks 10 to 15 of 2020, there was a 38% reduction in the number of LTs performed nationally, which was temporally associated with a transient 97% increase in waitlist mortality. When stratified by UNOS region, waitlist mortality was inversely correlated with the number of LTs performed in all 11 regions. However, the range of the association strength (r) was large (Pearson correlation coefficient range: -0.73 to -0.01). Conclusion: Interruptions in LT activity due to COVID-19 were associated with rapid increases in waitlist mortality, and these effects were unevenly distributed among candidates across the United States. The transplant community can utilize these results to mitigate inequalities in transplant allocation between UNOS regions and advocate for the uninterrupted practice of LT should another pandemic surge or COVID-19 variant arise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Yuan
- Department of Urology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
- Center for Transplantation Sciences, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Omar Haque
- Center for Transplantation Sciences, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Center for Engineering in Medicine and Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Shriners Hospitals for Children, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Taylor M. Coe
- Center for Transplantation Sciences, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Center for Engineering in Medicine and Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - James F. Markmann
- Center for Transplantation Sciences, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
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21
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Haque OJ, Roth EM, Fleishman A, Eckhoff DE, Khwaja K. Long-Term Outcomes of Early Experience in Donation After Circulatory Death Liver Transplantation: Outcomes at 10 Years. Ann Transplant 2021; 26:e930243. [PMID: 33875633 PMCID: PMC8067669 DOI: 10.12659/aot.930243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Donation after circulatory death (DCD) livers remain an underutilized pool of transplantable organs due to concerns of inferior long-term patient survival (PS) and graft survival (GS), which factors greatly into clinician decision-making and patient expectations. MATERIAL AND METHODS This retrospective study used SRTR data to assess 33 429 deceased-donor liver transplants (LT) and compared outcomes between DCD and donation after brain death (DBD) LT recipients in the United States. Data were collected from 2002 to 2008 to obtain 10 years of follow-up (2012-2018) in the era of MELD implementation. Propensity scores for donor type (DCD vs DBD) were estimated using logistic regression, and the association of donor type with 10-year outcomes was evaluated after adjustment using stabilized inverse probability of treatment weights. RESULTS After adjusting for confounders, patient survival for DBD recipients at 10 years was 60.7% versus 57.5% for DCD recipients (P=0.24). Incorporating retransplants, 10-year adjusted patient survival was 60.2% for DBD recipients versus 55.5% for DCD recipients (P=0.07). Adjusted 10-year graft survival for DBD recipients was 56.4% versus 45.4% for DCD recipients (P<0.001). Surprisingly, however, 1 year after LT, DBD and DCD graft failure rates converged to 7.5% over the remaining 9 years. CONCLUSIONS These data reveal inferior 10-year DCD graft survival, but only in the first year after LT, and similar 10-year patient survival in DCD LT recipients compared to DBD recipients. Our results show the stability and longevity of DCD grafts, which should encourage the increased utilization of these livers for transplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omar J Haque
- Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Eve M Roth
- Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Aaron Fleishman
- Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Devin E Eckhoff
- Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Khalid Khwaja
- Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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22
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Castillo-Angeles M, Li G, Bain PA, Stinebring J, Salim A, Adler JT. Systematic review of hospital-level metrics and interventions to increase deceased organ donation. Transplant Rev (Orlando) 2021; 35:100613. [PMID: 33744820 DOI: 10.1016/j.trre.2021.100613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Revised: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Efforts to ameliorate the organ shortage have predominantly focused on improving processes and interventions at multiple levels in the organ donation process, but no comprehensive review of hospital-level features contributing to organ donation exists. We undertook a systematic review of the literature to better understand current knowledge and knowledge gaps about hospital-level metrics and interventions associated with successful organ donation. METHODS We searched six electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, Health Business Elite, and Google scholar) and conference abstracts for articles on hospital-level features associated with the final outcome of organ donation (PROSPERO CRD42020187080). Editorials, letters to the editor, and reviews without original data were excluded. Our main outcomes were conversion rate, donation rate, number of organs recovered, number of donors, and authorization rate. RESULTS Our search yielded 2177 studies, and after a thorough assessment, 72 articles were included in this systematic review. Studies were thematically categorized into 1) Hospital-level interventions associated with metrics of organ donation; these included patient- and family-centric measures (i.e. standardized interviews, collaborative requesting and decoupling, and dedicated in-house coordinators), and donor management goals that significantly increased conversion rates by up to 64%; 2) Hospital-level multi-stage programs/policies; which increased authorization rates between 30 and 50%; and 3) Hospital characteristics and qualities; being an academic center, trauma center and larger hospital correlated with higher authorization and conversion rates. Most studies had considerable risk of bias and were of low quality. CONCLUSIONS There is a lack of well-designed studies on hospital-level metrics and interventions associated with organ donation. The use of thoughtful, patient- and family-centric approaches to authorization generally is associated with more organ donors. Future work can build on what is known about the hospital role in organ donation to improve the entire organ donation process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Castillo-Angeles
- Division of Trauma, Burn, and Surgical Critical Care, Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States of America; Center for Surgery and Public Health, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - George Li
- Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, United States of America
| | - Paul A Bain
- Countway Library, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - Jill Stinebring
- New England Donor Services, Waltham, MA, United States of America
| | - Ali Salim
- Division of Trauma, Burn, and Surgical Critical Care, Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - Joel T Adler
- Center for Surgery and Public Health, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States of America; Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States of America.
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23
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Halpern SE, McConnell A, Peskoe SB, Raman V, Jawitz OK, Choi AY, Neely ML, Palmer SM, Hartwig MG. A three-tier system for evaluation of organ procurement organizations' willingness to pursue and utilize nonideal donor lungs. Am J Transplant 2021; 21:1269-1277. [PMID: 33048423 PMCID: PMC7920904 DOI: 10.1111/ajt.16347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Revised: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Lungs from "nonideal," but acceptable donors are underutilized; however, organ procurement organization (OPO) metrics do not reflect the extent to which OPO-specific practices contribute to these trends. We developed a comprehensive system to evaluate nonideal lung donor avoidance, or risk aversion among OPOs. Adult donors in the UNOS registry who donated ≥1 organ for transplantation between 2007 and 2018 were included. Nonideal donors had any of age>50, smoking history ≥20 pack-years, PaO2 /FiO2 ratio ≤350, donation after circulatory death, or increased risk status. OPO-level risk aversion in donor pursuit, consent attainment, lung recovery, and transplantation was assessed. Among 83916 donors, 70372 (83.9%) were nonideal. Unadjusted OPO-level rates of nonideal donor pursuit ranged from 81 to 100%. In a three-tier system of overall risk aversion, tier 3 OPOs (least risk-averse) had the highest rates of nonideal donor pursuit, consent attainment, lung recovery, and transplantation. Tier 1 OPOs (most risk-averse) had the lowest rates of donor pursuit, consent attainment, and lung recovery, but higher rates of transplantation compared to tier 2 OPOs (moderately risk-averse). Risk aversion varies among OPOs and across the donation process. OPO evaluations should reflect early donation process stages to best differentiate over- and underperforming OPOs and encourage optimal OPO-specific performance.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alec McConnell
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Sarah B. Peskoe
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Vignesh Raman
- Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Oliver K. Jawitz
- Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | - Megan L. Neely
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Scott M. Palmer
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Matthew G. Hartwig
- Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
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Adler JT, Dey T. Evaluating Spatial Associations in Inpatient Deaths Between Organ Procurement Organizations. Transplant Direct 2021; 7:e668. [PMID: 34113711 PMCID: PMC8183974 DOI: 10.1097/txd.0000000000001109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Revised: 11/08/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
To improve the measurement of organ procurement organization (OPO) performance, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently proposed using inpatient deaths defined as the eligible pool of organ donors within an OPO as patients 75 years or younger that died from any cause that would not preclude donation. METHODS To account for the geographic variation in OPO performance and organ availability across the United States, we utilized spatial analysis to appraise the newly proposed metric of inpatient deaths. RESULTS Using spatial clustering that accounts for geographic relationships between Organ Procurement Organizations, the top 5 causes of donation-eligible death, and inpatient deaths, we identified 4 unique OPO clusters. Each group had a distinct demographic composition, cause of death, and inpatient death pattern. In multivariate analysis accounting for these geographic relationships, the spatial clusters remained significantly associated with the outcome of inpatient deaths (P < 0.001) and were the best-fitting model compared with models without the spatial clusters; this suggests that further risk adjustment of inpatient deaths should include these geographic considerations. CONCLUSIONS This approach provides not only a manner to assess donor potential by improving risk adjustment but also an opportunity to further explore geographic and spatial relationships in the practice of organ transplantation and OPO performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel T. Adler
- Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA
- Department of Surgery, Center for Surgery and Public Health, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - Tanujit Dey
- Department of Surgery, Center for Surgery and Public Health, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA
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25
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Paul S, Melanson T, Mohan S, Ross-Driscoll K, McPherson L, Lynch R, Lo D, Pastan SO, Patzer RE. Kidney transplant program waitlisting rate as a metric to assess transplant access. Am J Transplant 2021; 21:314-321. [PMID: 32808730 PMCID: PMC7980228 DOI: 10.1111/ajt.16277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2020] [Revised: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 08/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Kidney transplant program performance in the United States is commonly measured by posttransplant outcomes. Inclusion of pretransplant measures could provide a more comprehensive assessment of transplant program performance and necessary information for patient decision-making. In this study, we propose a new metric, the waitlisting rate, defined as the ratio of patients who are waitlisted in a center relative to the person-years referred for evaluation to a program. Furthermore, we standardize the waitlisting rate relative to the state average in Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The new metric was used as a proof-of-concept to assess transplant-program access compared to the existing transplant rate metric. The study cohorts were defined by linking 2017 United States Renal Data System (USRDS) data with transplant-program referral data from the Southeastern United States between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2016. Waitlisting rate varied across the 9 Southeastern transplant programs, ranging from 10 to 22 events per 100 patient-years, whereas the program-specific waitlisting rate ratio ranged between 0.76 and 1.33. Program-specific waitlisting rate ratio was uncorrelated with the transplant rate ratio (r = -.15, 95% CI, -0.83 to 0.57). Findings warrant collection of national data on early transplant steps, such as referral, for a more comprehensive assessment of transplant program performance and pretransplant access.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sudeshna Paul
- Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Taylor Melanson
- Department of Surgery, Division of Transplantation, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Sumit Mohan
- Department of Medicine, Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, New York
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York
| | - Katherine Ross-Driscoll
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Laura McPherson
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Raymond Lynch
- Department of Surgery, Division of Transplantation, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Denise Lo
- Department of Surgery, Division of Transplantation, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Stephen O. Pastan
- Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Rachel E. Patzer
- Department of Surgery, Division of Transplantation, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
- Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
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26
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Niroomand E, Mantero A, Narasimman M, Delgado C, Goldberg D. Rapid improvement in organ procurement organization performance: Potential for change and impact of new leadership. Am J Transplant 2020; 20:3567-3573. [PMID: 32476235 DOI: 10.1111/ajt.16085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2020] [Revised: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 05/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Recently proposed rulemaking from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services would change how organ procurement organizations (OPOs) are evaluated. The proposals include using national inpatient death data to define a standardized denominator to calculate comparable donation rates among OPOs. Based on these objective metrics, OPOs not performing at a prespecified threshold will be required to rapidly improve performance to avoid decertification. We sought to determine whether rapid OPO improvement was possible based on objective donation metrics, and whether leadership change was associated with rapid improvement. We evaluated United Network for Organ Sharing and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data from 2011 to 2018, and measured donation rates using CDC data on inpatient deaths from causes consistent with donation, based on the location of deaths. During the two 4-year cycles, we found that an OPO's ranking relative to other OPOs was fairly static, with more than 90% of the OPOs at risk of flagging at the end of each 4-year cycle (2014, 2018) being in the bottom 75% of OPOs in the preceding 3 years. In multivariable logistic regression models, leadership changes were only statistically significantly associated with an improvement in OPO rankings during the 2011-2014 cycle. These data demonstrate that rapid improvements in OPO performance are uncommon, and while leadership changes increase the odds of rapid improvement, they do not guarantee improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elaheh Niroomand
- Department of Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida
| | - Alejandro Mantero
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida
| | | | - Cindy Delgado
- Division of Digestive Health and Liver Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida
| | - David Goldberg
- Division of Digestive Health and Liver Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida
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27
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Estimating the effect of focused donor registration efforts on the number of organ donors. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0241672. [PMID: 33147294 PMCID: PMC7641390 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0241672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Waiting times for organs in the United States are long and vary widely across regions. Donor registration can increase the number of potential donors, but its effect on the actual number of organ transplants depends upon several factors. First among these factors is that deceased donor organ donation requires both that death occur in a way making recovery possible and that authorization to recover organs is obtained. We estimate the potential donor death rate and donor authorization rate conditional on potential donor death by donor registration status for each state and for key demographic groups. With this information, we then develop a simple measure of the value of a new donor registration. This combined measure using information on donor authorization rates and potential death rates varies widely across states and groups, suggesting that focusing registration efforts on high-value groups and locations can significantly increase the overall number of donors. Targeting high-value states raises 26.7 percent more donors than a uniform, nationwide registration effort. Our estimates can also be used to assess alternative, but complementary, policies such as protocols to improve authorization rates for non-registered potential donors.
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28
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Prakash K, Wainana C, Trageser J, Hahn A, Lay C, Pretorius V, Adler E, Aslam S. Local and regional variability in utilization and allocation of hepatitis C virus-infected hearts for transplantation. Am J Transplant 2020; 20:2867-2875. [PMID: 32185860 DOI: 10.1111/ajt.15857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2019] [Revised: 03/12/2020] [Accepted: 03/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
With the advent of direct-acting antiviral agents, there has been a rapid rise in hepatitis C virus-infected (HCV+) heart transplantation. We aimed to understand local and regional differences in utilization and allocation of HCV+ hearts. Using United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) de-identified data from January 1, 2016 to September 30, 2019 we compared trends in the utilization rates (hearts transplanted/donors recovered) of HCV-uninfected (HCV-) to those of HCV+ nonviremic (HCV-NV) and viremic (HCV-V) hearts nationally and by UNOS region. We also evaluated allocation rates (hearts successfully allocated/donors recovered) by organ procurement organization (OPO). We found that (1) in 2019, national utilization rates for HCV-NV and HCV-V hearts were the same as HCV- hearts (27.6% for HCV-NV, 30.9 for HCV-V, and 31.7% for HCV-, P = .277); (2) utilization rates of HCV-NV hearts were low in regions 3 and 4 and of HCV-V hearts in regions 3, 4, and 8 even in the contemporary period since 2018; and (3) there was marked variability in allocation of HCV+ hearts at the OPO level even within the same UNOS region. We conclude that despite national strides in the utilization of HCV+ hearts for transplantation, more aggressive allocation of HCV+ hearts at the OPO level may still significantly affect the organ shortage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katya Prakash
- Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California, San Diego, California, USA
| | | | | | | | - Cecilia Lay
- Clinical Research, University of California, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Victor Pretorius
- Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of California, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Eric Adler
- Division of Cardiology, University of California, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Saima Aslam
- Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California, San Diego, California, USA.,Clinical Research, University of California, San Diego, California, USA
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29
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Goldberg D, Doby B, Siminoff L, Shah M, Lynch R. Rejecting bias: The case against race adjustment for OPO performance in communities of color. Am J Transplant 2020; 20:2337-2342. [PMID: 32185873 DOI: 10.1111/ajt.15865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2020] [Revised: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
In December of 2019, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) put out a notice of proposed rule-making for 42 CFR Part 486, specifically the section that covers the organ procurement organization (OPO) Conditions for Coverage. Most crucially, the proposed rule included two new OPO performance metrics using objective, standardized data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These new metrics would employ a denominator that included inpatient deaths from certain causes that could lead to organ donation, rather than the current unverifiable eligible death metric. Although there has been near-uniform support for replacing the eligible death denominator with CDC data, a source of contention is CMS's proposal not to adjust risk for race in their OPO outcome. Nonetheless, there have been calls for race and ethnicity to be included as risk-adjusted variables in the CMS donation metric. Herein, we lay out an argument as to why inclusion of race and ethnicity as risk adjustment variables in an OPO performance metric is not only statistically suspect but also will hide the inequities that are detrimental to optimal system performance and assurance that all patients have timely access to donation.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Goldberg
- Division of Digestive Health and Liver Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Brianna Doby
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Laura Siminoff
- Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, University of Kentucky Medical Center, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
| | - Malay Shah
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, College of Public Health, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Raymond Lynch
- Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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30
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Snyder JJ, Musgrove D, Zaun D, Wey A, Salkowski N, Rosendale J, Israni AK, Hirose R, Kasiske BL. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' proposed metrics for recertification of organ procurement organizations: Evaluation by the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients. Am J Transplant 2020; 20:2466-2480. [PMID: 32157810 DOI: 10.1111/ajt.15842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2020] [Revised: 01/30/2020] [Accepted: 02/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
On December 23, 2019, the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services proposed 2 new standards that organ procurement organizations (OPOs) must meet for recertification. An OPO's organ donation rate (deceased donors/potential donors) and organ transplant rate (organs transplanted/potential donors) must not fall significantly below the 75th percentile for rates among all OPOs. We examined how OPOs would have fared under the proposed performance standards in 2016-2017. Data on donors and transplants were from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network; donor potential was estimated from Detailed Multiple Cause of Death data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2017, 31 (53%) OPOs failed to meet the proposed donation rate standard, 36 (62%) failed to meet the proposed organ transplant rate standard, and 37 (64%) failed at least 1 standard. We found that adjusting for age, race, and Hispanic ethnicity altered the evaluation: 8 OPOs changed their pass/fail status for the donation rate and 5 for the proposed organ transplant rate standard. We conclude that the proposed new standards may result in over half of OPOs facing decertification, and risk adjustment suggests that underlying characteristics of deaths vary regionally such that decertification decisions may be affected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jon J Snyder
- Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients, Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.,Department of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Donald Musgrove
- Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients, Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - David Zaun
- Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients, Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Andrew Wey
- Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients, Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Nicholas Salkowski
- Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients, Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - John Rosendale
- Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, United Network for Organ Sharing, Richmond, Virginia, USA
| | - Ajay K Israni
- Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients, Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.,Department of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.,Department of Medicine, Hennepin Healthcare, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Ryutaro Hirose
- Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients, Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.,Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Bertram L Kasiske
- Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients, Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.,Department of Medicine, Hennepin Healthcare, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
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31
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Goldberg DS, Doby B, Lynch R. Addressing Critiques of the Proposed CMS Metric of Organ Procurement Organ Performance: More Data Isn't Better. Transplantation 2020; 104:1662-1667. [PMID: 32732845 DOI: 10.1097/tp.0000000000003071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed a rule change to redefine the metric by which organ procurement organizations (OPOs) are evaluated. The metric relies on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data on inpatient deaths from causes consistent with donation among patients <75 years of age. Concerns have been raised that this metric does not account for rates of ventilation, and prevalence of cancer and severe sepsis, without objective data to substantiate or refute such concerns. METHODS We estimated OPO-level donation rates using CDC data, and used Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality/Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project data from 43 State Inpatient Databases to calculate "adjusted" donation rates. RESULTS The CMS metric and the ventilation-adjusted CMS metric were highly concordant in absolute terms (Spearman and Pearson correlation coefficients ≥0.95). In the Bland-Altman plot, 100% (48/48) of paired values (standard deviations [SDs] of the CMS and "ventilation adjusted" metrics) were within 1.96 SDs of the mean difference, with near-perfect correlation in Passing and Bablok regression (Lin's concordance correlation coefficient: 0.97). The CMS metric and the ventilation/cancer/sepsis-adjusted metric were highly concordant in absolute terms (Spearman and Pearson correlation coefficients ≥0.94). In the Bland-Altman plot, 97.9% (47/48) of paired values (SDs of the CMS and "ventilation/cancer/sepsis adjusted" metrics) were within 1.96 SDs of the mean difference, with near-perfect correlation in the Passing and Bablok regression (Lin's concordance correlation coefficient: 0.97). CONCLUSIONS These conclusions should provide CMS, and the transplant community, with comfort that the proposed CMS metric using CDC inpatient death data as a tool to compare OPO is not compromised by its lack of inclusion of ventilation or other comorbidity data.
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Affiliation(s)
- David S Goldberg
- Department of Medicine, Division of Digestive Health and Liver Diseases, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL
| | - Brianna Doby
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Raymond Lynch
- Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
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32
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Anwar N, Kaiser TE, Bari K, Schoech M, Diwan TS, Cuffy MC, Silski L, Quillin RC, Safdar K, Shah SA. Use of Hepatitis C Nucleic Acid Test-Positive Liver Allografts in Hepatitis C Virus Seronegative Recipients. Liver Transpl 2020; 26:673-680. [PMID: 32125753 DOI: 10.1002/lt.25741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2019] [Revised: 02/06/2020] [Accepted: 02/25/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Because of underutilization of liver allografts, our center previously showed that hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody-positive/nucleic acid test (NAT)-negative livers when transplanted into HCV nonviremic recipients were safe with a 10% risk of HCV transmission. Herein, we present our single-center prospective experience of using HCV NAT+ liver allografts transplanted into HCV NAT- recipients. An institutional review board-approved matched cohort study was conducted examining post- liver transplantation (LT) outcomes of HCV- patients who received HCV NAT+ organs (treatment group) compared with matched recipients with HCV NAT- organs (matched comparator group) between June 2018 to October 2019. The primary endpoint was success of HCV treatment and elimination of HCV infection. The secondary outcomes included the 30-day and 1-year graft and patient survival as well as perioperative complications. There were 32 recipients enrolled into each group. Because of 1 death in the index admission, 30/31 patients (97%) were given HCV treatment at a median starting time of 47 days (18-140 days) after LT. A total of 19 (63%) patients achieved sustained virological response at week 12 (SVR12). Another 6 patients achieved end-of-treatment response, while 5 remained on therapy and 1 is yet to start treatment. No HCV treatment failure has been noted. There were no differences in 30-day and 1-year graft and patient survival, length of hospital stay, biliary or vascular complications, or cytomegalovirus viremia between the 2 groups. In this interim analysis of a matched cohort study, which is the first and largest study to date, the patients who received the HCV NAT+ organs had similar outcomes regarding graft function, patient survival, and post-LT complications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadeem Anwar
- Digestive Disease Division, Department of Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH
| | - Tiffany E Kaiser
- Digestive Disease Division, Department of Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH
| | - Khurram Bari
- Digestive Disease Division, Department of Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH
| | - Michael Schoech
- Digestive Disease Division, Department of Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH
| | - Tayyab S Diwan
- Solid Organ Transplantation, Department of Surgery, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH
| | - Madison C Cuffy
- Solid Organ Transplantation, Department of Surgery, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH
| | - Latifa Silski
- Digestive Disease Division, Department of Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH
| | - Ralph C Quillin
- Solid Organ Transplantation, Department of Surgery, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH
| | - Kamran Safdar
- Digestive Disease Division, Department of Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH
| | - Shimul A Shah
- Solid Organ Transplantation, Department of Surgery, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH
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33
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Held PJ, Bragg-Gresham JL, Peters T, Chertow GM, McCormick F, Roberts JP. The cost of procuring deceased donor kidneys: Evidence from OPO cost reports 2013-2017. Am J Transplant 2020; 20:1087-1094. [PMID: 31667990 DOI: 10.1111/ajt.15669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2019] [Revised: 10/02/2019] [Accepted: 10/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Using 5 years of US organ procurement organization (OPO) data, we determined the cost of recovering a viable (ie, transplanted) kidney for each of 51 OPOs. We also examined the effects on OPO costs of the recovery of nonviable (ie, discarded) kidneys and other OPO metrics. Annual cost reports from 51 independent OPOs were used to determine the cost per recovered kidney for each OPO. A quadratic regression model was employed to estimate the relationship between the cost of kidneys and the number of viable kidneys recovered, as well as other OPO performance indicators. The cost of transplanted kidneys at individual OPOs ranged widely from $24 000 to $56 000, and the average was $36 000. The cost of a viable kidney tended to decline with the number of kidneys procured up to 549 kidneys per year and then increase. Of the total 81 401 kidneys recovered, 66 454 were viable and 14 947 (18.4%) were nonviable. The costs of kidneys varied widely over the OPOs studied, and costs were a function of the recovered number of viable and nonviable organs, local cost levels, donation after cardiac death, year, and Standardized Donor Rate Ratio. Cost increases were 3% per year.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip J Held
- Department of Medicine - Med/Nephrology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | | | - Thomas Peters
- Department of Surgery, University of Florida, Jacksonville, Florida, USA
| | - Glen M Chertow
- Department of Medicine - Med/Nephrology, Health Research & Policy, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | | | - John P Roberts
- Department of Surgery, Division of Transplant Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
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34
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An opposing view to United States liver allocation problems with broader sharing. Curr Opin Organ Transplant 2020; 25:110-114. [DOI: 10.1097/mot.0000000000000739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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35
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Goldberg D, Lynch R. Improvements in organ donation: Riding the coattails of a national tragedy. Clin Transplant 2019; 34:e13755. [DOI: 10.1111/ctr.13755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2019] [Revised: 11/04/2019] [Accepted: 11/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David Goldberg
- Division of Digestive Health and Liver Diseases Department of Medicine University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Miami FL USA
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