Permanent OPTN Fee Authority Act
The Permanent OPTN Fee Authority Act would authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to collect registration fees from members of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) for each transplant candidate that a member places on the waiting list. The collected fees would be used solely to support the operation of OPTN, with funds treated as discretionary offsetting collections and available to the extent provided in appropriations acts to distribute among eligible awardees. The bill also requires transparency, mandating public posting of fee amounts by member and the activities funded by those fees, updated quarterly. In addition, the bill adds a requirement to establish a dashboard displaying key OPTN statistics (including transplants performed, types of transplants, and organs that entered but were not transplanted), updated more frequently than annually. A Government Accountability Office (GAO) review would be conducted within two years of enactment to assess the program and provide recommendations.
Key Points
- 1Authorization of registration fees: The Secretary may collect registration fees from each OPTN member for every transplant candidate they place on the waiting list; fees support OPTN operations and may be kept available until expended.
- 2Collection and distribution mechanics: Fees can be collected directly or through awards under the network’s funding authorities and are to be credited as discretionary offsetting collections to the Department; funds are available to distribute to awardees as provided in appropriations acts.
- 3Transparency requirements: The Secretary must promptly post on the OPTN website the amount of fees collected from each member and the activities those fees support, with quarterly updates.
- 4Dashboard requirement: The bill directs the creation of a dashboard showing metrics such as the number of transplants performed, transplant types, and the number of organs entering the OPTN system that are not transplanted, with more frequent updates than once per year.
- 5Oversight and reporting: The Comptroller General must conduct a GAO review within two years of enactment, including findings and recommendations, and report to specified Senate and House committees.