One in five transplant centers substandard

An investigative report by the Los Angeles Times finds a shockingly high number of organ transplant programs fail to meet federal certification standards. Of 236 heart, liver and lung transplant centers nationwide, the newspaper reports nearly 50 have been allowed to continue offering transplants despite failing to meet minimum requirements designed to ensure patient safety. The paper cites the heart transplant program at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center as an example of a program that CMS has allowed to stay in business despite performing far fewer than the minimum number of surgeries. The piece is the latest in a series by the paper examining conditions at transplant programs around the country. Kaiser Permanente's San Francisco kidney transplant program was shut down as a result of a story a month ago.

- read this article from the Los Angeles Times