Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (1st District of Washington)
Today, Representatives Suzan DelBene (WA-01), Beth Van Duyne (TX-24), Carol Miller (WV-01), and Jim Costa (CA-21), introduced the Removing Burdens From Organ Donation Act, bipartisan legislation that would help provide more lifesaving organs to Americans on the transplant list. The bill would modernize and streamline the organ donation process by improving communication between hospitals and organ procurement organizations (OPOs).
The bill requires hospitals participating in Medicare and Medicaid to send automated electronic notifications to their designated OPOs when a patient dies or meets criteria for imminent death. It also requires remote electronic access to a patient’s health records to be granted to the OPO at that time, ensuring faster and more informed decision-making in critical moments.
“Organ transplant lists grow every day and families are waiting longer for the call that can give their loved ones the gift of life,” said DelBene. “This bill would cut through unnecessary red tape that slows down the organ donation process. By streamlining and automating how hospitals notify Organ Procurement Organizations, we can save valuable time and more lives.”
“Organ donation saves lives, but too often, outdated processes, and unnecessary red tape stands in the way,” said Van Duyne. “By cutting bureaucratic delays and modernizing the referral process, this legislation will ensure that more donor organs reach the patients who desperately need them. I’m proud to lead this bipartisan effort that brings commonsense, life-saving reforms to a system that many families depend on.”
“Over 35 million Americans are living with Chronic Kidney Disease. In my home state of West Virginia, nearly 4,000 individuals are experiencing kidney failure and are reliant on frequent dialysis or a kidney transplant to survive. As Co-Chair of the Congressional Kidney Caucus, I have introduced and supported legislation that addresses the needs of these individuals and helps them receive life-saving medical care. The Removing Burdens From Organ Donation Act will bring much needed reform to the organ donation process by simplifying the existing procedures and saving valuable time when viable organs become available. By removing bureaucratic red tape, we can save more lives and secure more organ transplants for patients in need,” said Miller.
“The Removing Burdens From Organ Donation Act is a vital step towards strengthening our nation’s organ transplant system by advancing communications between hospitals and Organ Procurement Organizations,” said Costa. “This legislation bypasses burdens to streamline efficient organ donor referrals through technology to reduce delays and assist timely coordination. It’s a practical and commonsense solution to ensure more lives are saved.”
“Without a doubt, the Removing Burdens From Organ Donation Act will save lives,” said Brad Adams, President & CEO of Southwest Transplant Alliance, the organ procurement organization that received the very first automated electronic donor referral. “Securely integrating systems between hospitals and organ procurement organizations through automated electronic donor referrals and remote access protocols will streamline operations, reduce costs, and increase patient safety. We are incredibly grateful for Reps. Van Duyne and the work she has done to remove burdens from the organ donation process.”
To ensure flexibility, the bill allows temporary exemptions for hospitals facing significant hardships, such as limited rural internet access, cybersecurity attacks, or natural disasters.
It also directs the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services to issue best practices guidance and annual reports on exemptions granted. Finally, the legislation requires the Government Accountability Office to study the impact of these changes, including transplant outcomes, rural broadband challenges, and patient data security.
Experts and leaders in the transplant community praised the bill for its potential to improve patient outcomes and make the organ donation process more efficient:
“This legislation will strengthen the existing deceased organ donor referral process by leveraging technology to streamline the way hospitals and organ procurement organizations communicate with one another,” said Maureen McBride, Ph.D., CEO of United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). “Studies have found that automated deceased donor referral software tools increase the number of organ donors – a significant impact since one organ donor can save up to eight lives. Thank you, U.S. Reps. Van Duyne, DelBene, Miller, and Costa for your leadership in advocating for patients. UNOS looks forward to continuing to work with you to help more patients get the lifesaving transplant they need.”
“LifeGift, the health services agency that coordinates organ and tissue donation in Houston, Fort Worth, Lubbock and Amarillo, Texas, supports the Removing Burdens From Organ Donation Act sponsored by Representatives Van Duyne, DelBene, Miller, and Costa as a hugely important performance improvement intervention to make potential donor referrals from hospital to organ procurement organization faster and more efficient. LifeGift has received 19,463 potential referrals so far in 2025 and received 35,952 referrals in 2024; all of which were made by phone between hospital staff and LifeGift. Moving these referral calls to an electronic notification allows critical care staff to focus on patient care and gives the organ donation team precious time to begin their lifesaving work.”
“The Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) applauds Representatives Van Duyne, DelBene, Miller, and Costa for introducing legislation that streamlines hospital organ donor referrals and improves organ procurement organizations’ access to vital patient information. By reducing delays and supporting timely coordination with donor families, this bill will help ensure more lives are saved through organ donation.”
“With more than 90,000 Americans on the kidney transplant waitlist, it is imperative that our organ transplant system function as efficiently as possible to help as many of them receive a kidney as quickly as possible,” said American Society of Nephrology President Prabir Roy-Chaudhury, MD, PhD, FASN. “The Removing Burdens From Organ Donation Act would help both hardworking donor hospital teams and organ procurement organization teams—who together make kidneys available for transplant—benefit from readily-available technology to speed the lifesaving work they lead every day across the country. I commend Reps. Van Duyne, DelBene, Miller, and Costa for their leadership in support of kidney transplant candidates awaiting a lifesaving organ and the multidisciplinary teams who make that hope a reality.”
“On behalf of the American Society of Transplantation (AST), representing a majority of the nation’s medical professionals engaged in the field of solid organ transplantation, we applaud the continuous leadership and steadfast resolve of Representatives DelBene, Costa, Miller, and Van Duyne to strengthen the nation’s organ transplant system,” said Dr. Jon Kobashigawa, M.D. President, American Society of Transplantation (AST). “The AST endorses the ‘Removing Burdens from Organ Donation Act’ as a commonsense approach to bring great efficiencies to the system and our patients.”
“On behalf of every kidney patient managing organ failure and their families, the American Association of Kidney Patients extends our most sincere appreciation to Representative Van Duyne and her Congressional colleagues, Representatives Suzan DelBene, Carol Miller, and Jim Costa, for their serious and substantive bipartisan efforts to address America’s organ shortage through the Removing Barriers to Organ Donation Act. Representative Van Duyne has been a remarkably insightful and empathetic advocate for kidney patients and we are honored to fully support the policy efforts she and her colleagues have undertaken to prioritize transplantation over status quo, high mortality dialysis and its associated legacy of dependence and disability.” Said Mr. Edward V. Hickey, IIII, a chronic kidney disease patient and the President of the American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP), America’s largest kidney patient organization.
“This bipartisan bill takes a commonsense, life-saving step forward by streamlining communication between hospitals and organ procurement organizations,” said Susan Bushnell, President and CEO of the Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) Foundation. “It will help ensure fewer transplant opportunities are missed and that more families facing kidney failure can hold onto hope for a second chance. We’re grateful to Congress for working to remove burdens that cost lives.”
“Better information means better care. The Removing Burdens From Organ Donation Act ensures timely, secure access to vital records so the entire care team can act quickly and decisively,” said Margaret French, Managing Director of Legislative Affairs, Alliance for Home Dialysis. “This bipartisan bill is a commonsense step toward more efficient, life-saving kidney donation and offers hope to people living with kidney failure.”
Endorsing Organizations include: DaVita, Fresenius Medical Care, United Network for Organ Sharing, Southwest Transplant Alliance, Donor Network West (San Francisco, CA), Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency, Mid-America Transplant (St. Louis, MO), OurLegacy (Orlando, FL), Association of Organ Procurement Organizations, LifeGift (serving North, Southeast, and West Texas), American Society of Nephrology, American Society of Transplant Surgeons, American Society of Transplantation, National Kidney Foundation, Polycystic Kidney Disease Foundation, and Alliance for Home Dialysis.
A copy of the bill can be found here.