CMS to Decertify Lowest-Performing Organ Procurement Groups

CMS is moving forward with a new scoring system for the nation's 55 organ procurement organizations, ranking them into tiers based on donation and transplantation rates and decertifying those in the bottom tier. Top-performing groups get automatic four-year contract renewals, middle-tier groups can improve and reapply, and bottom-tier groups lose their federal contracts, with other nonprofits then bidding to take over their service areas. Current four-year contracts expire in January, though CMS says it will issue extensions as needed; the agency has not yet said when it will release certification decisions. The Association of Organ Procurement Organizations warns nearly 42% of groups could land in the bottom tier and has filed lawsuits opposing aspects of the criteria, citing potential disruption to organ donation logistics in some states.