Title: National Organ Transplant Act Amendments of 2018
Policy area: Health

Summary:
National Organ Transplant Act Amendments of 2018
This bill makes several changes to the organization and goals of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, including expanding the scope to specifically address certain populations (e.g., minorities, children, and individuals who live in rural areas).

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6458 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6458

    To amend the Public Health Service Act to revise and extend the 
          national organ transplantation procurement program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 19, 2018

  Mr. Rice of South Carolina introduced the following bill; which was 
            referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend the Public Health Service Act to revise and extend the 
          national organ transplantation procurement program.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Organ Transplant Act 
Amendments of 2018''.

SEC. 2. ORGAN PROCUREMENT AND TRANSPLANTATION NETWORK.

    (a) In General.--Section 372(b) of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 274(b)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)(B)--
                    (A) by redesignating clauses (i) and (ii) as 
                clauses (ii) and (iii), respectively;
                    (B) by inserting before clause (ii) (as so 
                redesignated) the following new clause:
                            ``(i) that is elected in a transparent 
                        process with voting representatives from across 
                        the United States and from all key 
                        constituencies within the transplant 
                        community;''; and
                    (C) in clause (iii) (as so redesignated), by 
                inserting before ``whose chairpersons'' the following: 
                ``through the election process described in clause 
                (i),'';
            (2) in paragraph (2)--
                    (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by 
                striking ``Network shall'' and inserting the following: 
                ``Network's primary goal shall be to increase the 
                number of successful transplants by establishing 
                policies, collecting data, and conducting studies and 
                demonstrations to'';
                    (B) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) through (J) 
                as subparagraphs (P) through (Y), respectively;
                    (C) by striking subparagraph (K);
                    (D) by redesignating subparagraphs (L), (M), (N), 
                and (O) as subparagraphs (Z), (AA), (CC), and (DD), 
                respectively;
                    (E) by inserting before subparagraph (P) (as so 
                redesignated) the following:
            ``(A) increase organ donation by--
                    ``(i) working actively to increase the supply of 
                donated organs,
                    ``(ii) providing information to physicians and 
                other health professionals regarding organ donation,
                    ``(iii) establishing a process and procedures for 
                adopting best practices in organ donation, and
                    ``(iv) establishing processes, procedures, and 
                requirements for continuing education for transplant 
                community personnel to implement best practices,
            ``(B) increase access to transplantation for underserved 
        minorities,
            ``(C) reduce barriers to transplantation based on socio-
        economic status,
            ``(D) increase access to transplantation for children,
            ``(E) promote innovation in transplantation science,
            ``(F) promote innovation in organ donation and allocation,
            ``(G) increase organ utilization and reduce organ discards 
        by eliminating transplant policies and regulations that 
        encourage transplant centers to avoid the use of certain 
        organs,
            ``(H) reward local communities for donation efforts by 
        ensuring local access to donated organs,
            ``(I) facilitate collaboration between transplant centers 
        and local Organ Procurement Organizations to maximize organ 
        donation and utilization,
            ``(J) establish policies and procedures to increase the use 
        of marginal or high-risk donors consistent with sound medical 
        judgement and informed consent, and ensure transplant centers 
        are not penalized for such use,
            ``(K) establish uniform criteria for determining patient 
        medical status,
            ``(L) incorporate outcome measures into allocation policy 
        to ensure maximum benefit to the population from 
        transplantation,
            ``(M) increase transparency of data collection and modeling 
        for organ donation and organ allocation,
            ``(N) establish policies and regulations that decrease the 
        cost of organ procurement and transplantation,
            ``(O) eliminate regulatory duplication between agencies 
        resulting in inefficiency in the transplant process,'';
                    (F) in subparagraph (Q) (as so redesignated), by 
                inserting ``, which shall consider outcomes as well as 
                waiting list mortality,'' after ``allocating organs''; 
                and
                    (G) by inserting after subparagraph (AA) (as so 
                redesignated) the following:
            ``(BB) recognize the differences in health and in organ 
        transplantation issues between patients who live close to 
        transplant centers and rural patients who live far from 
        transplant centers, and adopt criteria, polices, and procedures 
        that address the unique health care needs of patients living in 
        rural areas far from transplant centers,''; and
            (3) by striking paragraph (3).
    (b) Regulations.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 
promulgate regulations to implement the amendments made by this Act.
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