The American Society of Transplant Surgeons has joined a national effort to increase the number of transplants in the United States. The Donation and Transplantation Community of Practice (DTCP) Strategic Planning Committee, composed of transplantation community partner organizations with government participation from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), has been meeting since September 2012 to develop a strategic plan for improving donation and transplantation practices across the nation. Most recently, this group of committed individuals and organizations identified and approved the following collective goal:
To increase the number of transplants each year by 1,000 over the next 5 years
The Community of Practice is committed to a national culture of donation and transplantation where each individual has the opportunity to donate and the intention of those who are designated donors is honored 100% of the time. This culture will result in more lives saved through successful transplantation each year.
To that end, the Community of Practice will:
- Enhance collaboration and communications among partner organizations to maximize scarce resources
- Promote the education and training of healthcare professionals to build a culture of donation and transplantation in each hospital
- Collaborate with the OPTN, CMS, and private payors to redefine performance metrics that promote increased transplantation and protect patient safety
- Foster best practices and share them among the Community of Practice
- Recognize excellence in high performing donor hospitals, transplant centers and organ procurement organizations
ASTS joins the American Hospital Association, Donate Life America, the American Society of Transplantation, the Organ Donation and Transplantation Alliance, the Association for Multicultural Affairs in Transplantation, the Joint Commission, the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations, and the United Network for Organ Sharing in this effort.