The kidney program at UCI Medical Center is in trouble after a CMS investigation determined that the hospital's transplant program consistently refused healthy kidneys over a five-year period. The hospital accepted only 8.7 percent of the available organs, as opposed to the national average of between 25 percent to 30 percent. The UCI liver transplant program was forced to close down last year after media reports revealed that several patients on its waiting list died following problems with its program. The news is likely to lead to increased pressure for regulation of the national transplant system in Washington. Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA), the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, has led a campaign for more oversight of the system. Expect more pressure to follow.
- see this article from the San Jose Mercury News