OPTN Fee Collection Authority Act

Last progress February 12, 2025 (10 months ago)

Introduced on February 12, 2025 by Charles Ernest Grassley

This bill lets the federal health department collect a small registration fee from members of the national organ transplant network each time they add a patient to the waitlist. The money can only be used to run and improve the transplant system, and the agency must post, every quarter, how much each member paid and what the fees were used for. This authority would last for three years after the bill becomes law.

The bill also pushes the transplant system to modernize. It encourages connecting hospital electronic health records with the transplant network, including automated referrals and secure, remote access for organ procurement groups to view potential donor records. It also calls for a public dashboard with up-to-date stats on transplants and organs that were not transplanted. The current 24-hour phone service can be updated to 24-hour phone or technology-based service. An independent review of the fee program must be completed within two years.

Key points

• Who is affected: Members of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, like organ procurement organizations and transplant hospitals, and patients waiting for transplants.
• What changes: HHS can collect and publicly report registration fees to fund network operations; stronger use of electronic health records and a public data dashboard; updated 24/7 communication options.
• When: Fee authority lasts for three years after enactment; a government review is due within two years.