ConnectLife Blog

An evaluation and competition system created by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) could lead to 42% of Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs) being automatically decertified in 2026. This “throws the non-profit community based OPOs into a cutthroat, iterative Hunger-Games-style competition where only the top are guaranteed ‘organizational survival’,” according to a lawsuit.

The New York State Assembly and Senate have passed legislation important to providing residents with new opportunities to register as organ, eye and tissues donors. ConnectLife is especially grateful to the representatives from Western New York who voted in favor of these bills. The 2026 Doorways to Donation Act (A10299A/S8841) would enable New Yorkers to register as a donor when filing their annual income tax returns online.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) put forward a plan in April to significantly change the ways in which Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs) are reimbursed for recovering most types of organs for transplantation. The proposed policies could delay reimbursement for non-profit OPOs, increase administrative burdens and create financial instability.