As promised, the Biden administration is moving on from the national organ transplant system’s nearly 40-year “contract monopoly” by awarding new modernization contracts to multiple vendors.
The awards follow last year’s congressional mandate to shift the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) away from nonprofit contractor the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) amid allegations of inefficiencies and, as of recently, misconduct.
UNOS has repeatedly said it supports the diversification and other modernization efforts outlined by the administration, such as increased transparency and an upgraded IT system.
The Department for Health and Human Services’ (HHS’) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) put out the call for bids near the top of this year. Though lawmakers criticized the administrator for slow progress, HRSA on Thursday announced five new organizations it tapped to work on the overhaul.
- Arbor Research Collaborative for Health will be working on patient safety and policy compliance systems and processes.
- General Dynamic Information Technology will look at ways for HRSA to improve the OPTN organ matching IT system.
- Maximus Federal will work to increase transparency and public engagement in OPTN policymaking processes, such as around committee activity.
- Deloitte will improve internal and patient-facing OPTN communications.
- Guidehouse Digital will work on improving OPTN’s budget development and management systems and processes.
“With the life of more than 100,000 Americans at stake, no organ donated for transplantation should go to waste,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in the announcement. “For too long, our organ transplant system has fallen short, mired in monopoly. The Biden-Harris Administration has reformed OPTN to require accountability in the operation of organ procurement that our transplant patients and their families demand.”
The contracts to those five groups range from about $770,000 to nearly $1.6 million, a HRSA spokesperson told Politico, and that a total 14 awards including those highlighted in the announcement were shared last week.
Beyond the monopoly, critics of the OPTN frequently pointed to potential conflicts of interest stemming from UNOS’ board of directors holding the same role for OPTN.
HRSA announced their official divorce in July and a month later shared that the American Institutes for Research was contracted to organize a special election for a new board to address those concerns—though lawmakers and other stakeholders say they still have their concerns.