CMS Announces New Provider of Organ Procurement Services in South Florida
Nevada Donor Network will deliver organ procurement services following the decertification of the University of Miami’s failed provider
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced today that following a competitive selection process, Nevada Donor Network (NVLV) is approved to assume responsibility for organ procurement services in the Southern Florida Donation Service Area, which spans approximately 7 million people in the six counties of South Florida and the commonwealth of the Bahamas.
CMS’ action follows its September 2025 decision to decertify the Life Alliance Organ Recovery Agency, a division of the University of Miami Health System, after documented noncompliance with federal Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) Conditions for Coverage, including years of patient deficiencies related to staffing, training, and quality oversight. CMS will oversee a transition process designed to ensure uninterrupted organ procurement services in South Florida.
“Organ transplant patients and their families rely on CMS to ensure that organ procurement meets federal standards of performance and accountability,” said CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. “We will continue to aggressively enforce these standards and look forward to working with NVLV to provide high quality transplant services in South Florida.”
As part of the competitive application process to be considered for selection to an open service area, NVLV, a Tier 1 rated OPO, demonstrated that it meets all federal requirements for participation as an OPO and has demonstrated the operational capacity, clinical expertise, and quality infrastructure necessary to serve donor families, hospitals, and patients waiting for lifesaving transplants within the new donation service area.
CMS will maintain enhanced oversight throughout the transition period, which will include a coordinated handoff between the outgoing and incoming OPOs, including joint transition meetings with CMS oversight, to monitor continuity of services, support for donor hospitals, and protection of patients and donor families.
During the transition period, the newly designated OPO will establish an operational presence in South Florida, including appointing personnel, transitioning records, and establishing agreements with donor hospitals and transplant hospitals located within that area.
The approved OPO will complete required administrative steps to finalize the transition, including submission of supplemental enrollment materials to CMS and completion of applicable licensure requirements with the State of Florida. CMS has received assurances that these steps will be expedited.
The Life Alliance Organ Recovery Agency, under CMS oversight, will continue to provide organ procurement services in the service area to maintain uninterrupted organ donation and transplantation services in South Florida during the transition period to ensure coverage until NVLV formally assumes operational responsibility for the service area.
CMS is committed to enforcing OPO performance standards under the reform initiative that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced in July 2025. At that time, an HHS investigation into another OPO found that at least 28 patients may not have been deceased at the time of organ preparation, 73 patients showed neurological signs incompatible with donation, and the Biden administration had closed its own investigation without action. This systemic disregard for the sanctity of life within the nation's organ transplant system poses a grave threat to both prospective donors and recipients. Nearly 100,000 Americans are currently on transplant waitlists, and an average of 13 patients die each day waiting for an organ, even as more than 28,000 donated organs go unmatched each year.
Each OPO is a federally designated nonprofit responsible for coordinating the recovery of organs for transplantation in the United States. Each of the 55 OPOs serves a specific geographic region, working with hospitals to identify potential donors, evaluate medical suitability, obtain authorization from families, and ensure safe recovery of organs. They then match and allocate organs through the national Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). OPOs are regulated by CMS and overseen by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) at HHS, with the mission of turning potential donations into successful transplants while upholding the highest standards of safety and accountability.
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