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News Release

HHS JOINS HOSPITALS, ORGAN PROCUREMENT ORGANIZATIONS TO LAUNCH INITIATIVE TO INCREASE ORGAN DONATION

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today joined leaders of over 100 large hospitals and 43 Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs) to launch a national initiative to generate significant increases in organ donation in the United States.

The hospital and OPO leaders, in Washington to attend a two-day "Organ Donation Breakthrough Collaborative" meeting, agreed to join Secretary Thompson in an effort to increase organ donation rates from the current national average of 46 percent of eligible organ donors who die in hospitals to a target of 75 percent by adopting practices from hospitals and OPOs that already have high donation rates. A recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine found that a high percentage of potential organ donors come from a relatively small pool of large hospitals like those represented at today's session.

"With their commitment to this initiative, hospital and organ procurement leaders are spearheading a historic opportunity to reduce the organ waiting list and bring life and hope to the thousands of men, women and children who are waiting for a life-saving donation," Secretary Thompson said.

Hospitals and OPOs work together to identify eligible organ donors, honor donation intentions as directed by the donor or the family and implement procedures to transfer donated organs to waiting recipients. Nationally, more than 82,000 people are currently waiting for an organ that could save or enhance their lives. Nearly 18 people die each day waiting for an organ.

Secretary Thompson also joined with leaders from six of the assembled organ procurement organizations, 16 large hospitals and a scientific team from the Lewin Group to release a study that profiles the practices already being used by these organizations to achieve high organ donation rates. Thompson praised these leaders for their results to date and said, "If we can do it in large hospitals in Wisconsin, Houston, Colorado, St. Louis, Tampa, and Boston, we can do it in large hospitals throughout the nation." The complete study is available online at www.organdonor.gov.

The 370 leaders are attending the Organ Donation Breakthrough Collaborative September 9-10 to learn about the practices of large hospitals and OPOs that already have high donation rates. Upon returning to their institutions, they will organize teams to design and implement changes to improve donation rates. The leaders will reconvene again next year to review progress, assess breakthroughs by participant teams and design further changes for more testing. Successful practices will then be expanded to other large U.S. hospitals, where 90 percent of all eligible donors are located.

Secretary Thompson announced the organ donation collaborative in April 2003. Its partners include the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) and other key organizations in the transplantation and hospital communities. It utilizes the proven methodology of the "Breakthrough Collaborative" developed by IHI. In a collaborative, health leaders work together in an intensive "all-teach, all-learn" format over a period of months to improve performance outcomes, based on the best practices of peers who have already achieved high results.

For more information on this initiative, contact the HRSA Office of Communications at (301) 443-3376. For detailed information on hospital donation rates, see www.ustransplant.org.

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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.

Last Revised: September 11, 2003