Home / House Energy and Commerce Oversight Subcommittee Memo
SID&T Sets the Record Straight With House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee
Unfortunately for the thousands of donor families, tens of thousands annually receiving organ transplants, and the many more awaiting that lifesaving gift, Congress on September 11th held a hearing that ignored peer-reviewed organ and transplant science and promoted the inflammatory, defamatory and bizarre claims of Greg Segal. See our full response on this page and help us promulgate a serious research-based examination of the flaws in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Rule and an open discussion of the recommendations of the landmark study by the National Academies of Science, Engineering-Realizing the Promise of Equity in the Organ Transplantation System.
Chairs Rodgers and Griffith and Members of the Subcommittee:
Science in Donation and Transplant was formed to advocate on behalf of evidence-based policies and science- guided improvements to the U.S. organ and tissue donation and transplant system -- a system that is already the world’s best. The U.S. organ transplant system is designed to work with family members, physicians, and hospitals in connection with approximately 24,500 medically suitable deaths per year to give each family and donor the chance to leave a life-saving legacy. It is difficult, compassionate, and life-saving work.
Last year was the 13th consecutive year the US broke records for the number of deceased donations. More than 46,600 organ transplants were performed, with 36,679 from deceased donors (also a record), an increase of 8.9% over 2022. This data is publicly available on Federal OPTN and SRTR websites.
There is much more good news about the US organ transplant system. Out of every 10,000 deaths in the United States, 52 of the decedents donate at least one organ – the highest donation performance rate in the world.
These positive trends have been building for a while: The US organ transplant system has increased deceased organ donor transplants by 71% since 2013 and increased the ranks of registered organ donors by 98%.
We opened our letter to your subcommittee with a battery of positive numbers to establish a context for our concerns about today’s hearing, which appears to be focused on perpetuating Organize’s campaign of slander and retribution aimed at the organ donation and transplantation system, which has delivered high-quality results since the passage of the National Organ Transplant Act of 1984.
Science in Donation and Transplant strongly supports efforts to modernize, upgrade and reform our system, which despite its success is still haunted by the length of the organ transplant waiting list, and the grim truth that about 20 people in America die each day waiting for a transplant. The best path to reform was outlined by the National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine in its 2022 study, “Realizing the Promise of Equity in the Organ Transplant System.”