USC tries to fix transplant program problems

USC University Hospital in Los Angeles continues to have problems with its liver transplant program, despite the fact that the hospital says it has taken steps to improve outcomes. As FierceHealthcare readers already know, USC is just one of a number of hospitals facing transplant program problems. According to the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients, just 77.3 percent of USC's transplant patients survive, significantly below the national average of 83.3 percent. USC has been working for months to correct the underlying problems in their program. Officials believe that choosing the wrong patients for transplants or using organs of poor quality have been factors in the program's struggle.

Over the summer, an investigative report by the Los Angeles Times found that 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.

For more on USC's troubled program:
- read the report

Related Articles:
Liver transplant program issued rebuke. Report
One in five transplant centers substandard. Report

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