Organ Donation Referral Improvement Act
The Organ Donation Referral Improvement Act would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, to conduct a year-long study on how hospitals currently use electronic automated referrals to identify and refer potential deceased organ donors to organ procurement organizations (OPOs). The study would assess potential time savings, timeliness, and improvements over manual processes; the role of electronic health records and standardized criteria; effects on donation volumes; and existing literature, best practices, and information technology security. It would culminate in recommendations to promote broader use and identify actions needed to establish nationwide use. The bill also provides a precise definition of what constitutes an “electronic automated referral.”
Key Points
- 1The bill requires a comprehensive study (to be completed within 1 year of enactment) on existing hospital use of electronic automated referrals for organ donation.
- 2Study components include: staff time savings and timeliness; potential improvement over human identification of donors; benefits of using electronic medical records and standardized criteria; impact on donation volumes without manual reporting; review of peer‑reviewed literature; best practices; IT security and secure data transmission; and development of nationwide implementation recommendations.
- 3It provides a clear definition: an electronic automated referral is an electronic system that uses clinical criteria in a patient’s electronic health record to automatically refer potential deceased donors to the hospital’s collaborating organ procurement organization.
- 4The Secretary must deliver a final report with the study results to specified House and Senate committees within 1 year of enactment.
- 5The bill is titled the “Organ Donation Referral Improvement Act.”