UNOS BOARD MEETING AND CHANGES

[Guest guest]

The UNOS BOARD met on Dec 7th and made the following changes:

The Board approved additions to Policy 7.1 (Reporting Definitions) that will support and clarify expectations for length of follow-up on living donors and for the timeliness of collecting patient data for submission.

The Board granted final approval to modifications to Policy 3.6.4.7 (Combined Liver-Intestine Candidates) that would assign patients awaiting a combined liver-intestine transplant who are registered on both waiting lists an increase in their MELD/PELD score equivalent to a 10% risk of 3-month mortality.

The Board approved the recommendation to replace "incentive" with "benefit" when discussing ways of offering financial or other assistance to encourage individuals to become donors and to show appreciation for those who are donors.

The Board approved modifications to Policy 7.5 (Submission of Donor Information) stating that all living donors must be registered with UNOS via the Living Donor Feedback Form prior to surgery.

The Board directed that the Living Donor Six-Month Quality of Life Survey be sent from UNOS directly to the living donor.

The Board approved the Living Donor Six-Month Quality of Life Survey.

The Board approved modifications to Policy 3.6.4.5 (Liver Candidates with Exceptional Cases) that would maintain a patient's approved MELD/PELD score if the center enters the extension application more than three days prior to the due date, and the RRB does not act prior to that date.

The Board granted final approval to modifications to Policy 3.6.4.4 (Liver Transplant Candidates with Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC)) that would eliminate the additional priority assigned to patients with Stage T1.

The Board approved for implementation the updated MELD mortality risk curve in the existing liver allocation algorithm.

The Board deferred implementation of the updated PELD mortality risk curve in the existing liver allocation algorithm pending additional consideration by the Liver and Intestinal Organ and Pediatric Transplantation Committees.

The Board declined to approve modifications to Policies 3.2.2 (Multiple Listing Permitted), and 3.2.2.1 (Waiting Time Transferal) that would have restricted multiple listing such that transplant candidates who are multiple listed but do not meet certain defined conditions may remain multiple listed until they are transplanted or removed from the list. Since the Board declined to restrict multiple listing, a resolution supporting the current multiple listing policy was withdrawn.

The Board declined to approve modifications to Policies 3.2.2 (Multiple Listing Permitted), and 3.2.2.1 (Waiting Time Transferal) that would have restricted multiple listing such that transplant candidates who are multiple listed but do not meet certain defined conditions may remain multiple listed until they are transplanted or removed from the list. Since the Board declined to restrict multiple listing, a resolution supporting the current multiple listing policy was withdrawn.

The Board endorsed the initiatives described in "A Proposal to Increase Organ Donation," which include a proposal to reimburse wages lost by living donors and to extend coverage under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to living donors during the donation and recovery period.

The Board approved modifications to Policy 3.6.2.1 (Allocation of Blood Type O Donors) stating that, with the exception of Status 1 patients, blood type O donors may only be allocated to blood type O patients, or B patients with a MELD or PELD score greater than or equal to 30.

The Board will request that the establishment of a long-term registry of living donors be given top priority by the NIH, NIAID, and other components of the Department of Health and Human Services.

To read all the changes in policy - for all organs go to: http://www.unos.org/news/newsDetail.asp?id=300

HTH - Barb in Texas