June 2026 HHS Update: OPO Performance Reports and Patient Safety Integrated Strategy
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Health Resources and Services Administration, is modernizing the nation’s organ donation, procurement, and transplant system to make it safer, more transparent, and more accountable.
Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs) play a critical role by securing authorization, recovering organs, and ensuring safe and timely delivery to recipients. The 2020 OPO Rule is already delivering results — since the final rule was issued, organ donations have increased by 36% nationwide, transplants have increased by 30%, and the number of lowest-performing OPOs continues to decline. These results demonstrate the value of objective, independently verifiable performance standards and a strong accountability framework to better serve the 100,000 Americans waiting for a life-saving organ transplant.
This year, HHS anticipates the release of the OPO performance data for the final assessment period of the 2022-2026 re-certification cycle in summer 2026. To support the continued success of the 2020 OPO Rule, HHS is currently reviewing public comments on the proposed rule issued earlier this year, which seeks to clarify remaining procedural questions and enable OPOs to make better-informed decisions. With that clarity, OPOs can enhance their efforts to procure, distribute, and transplant more life-saving organs. We will leverage this valuable feedback to continue to thoughtfully and strategically modernize and strengthen the organ donation and transplant system. The final rule is projected to be issued in late 2026. By presenting OPO performance data and new policy implementation details, the Trump administration is ensuring that the entire organ donation and transplant community has a clear understanding of both current performance levels and the path forward.
Together, these actions represent a comprehensive approach to strengthening accountability, improving patient safety, and supporting long-term stability across the organ donation, procurement, and transplant system.