The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has released a plan to overhaul the nation's organ transplant system, which has long been plagued by sometimes lethal delays and IT failures. 

The plan will open the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) to competitive bidding, with the goal of upgrading the system to meet industry-leading standards designed to improve data-tracking and how organs are matched with patients. 

“Every day, patients and families across the United States rely on the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network to save the lives of their loved ones who experience organ failure,” said Carole Johnson, HRSA Administrator, in a news release.  

The overhaul follows a series of reports from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the White House's U.S. Digital Service that showed widespread failures in the system. 

“At HRSA, our stewardship and oversight of this vital work is a top priority," Johnson said. "That is why we are taking action to both bring greater transparency to the system and to reform and modernize the OPTN. The individuals and families that depend on this life-saving work deserve no less.”

Share:
More In Technology
Worldwide Coronavirus Cases Top 1 Million; Economic Fallout Mounts
The coronavirus outbreak has triggered a stunning collapse in the U.S. workforce, with 10 million people losing their jobs in the past two weeks. Meanwhile, the number of confirmed infections worldwide has hit 1 million, with more than 50,000 deaths, according to the tally kept by Johns Hopkins University.
Ford, GE to Produce 50,000 Ventilators in Next 100 Days
The automaker revealed that it will be able to produce 50,000 ventilators in the next 100 days. The ventilators' design has been simplified by the private medical company Airon for easy set-up and quick usage in emergency settings.
Load More