News: HHS announces new model to improve access to kidney transplants

Last week, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the proposed Increasing Organ Transplant Access (IOTA) Model.

This proposed model would aim to do the following:

• Increase access to kidney transplants for all people living with end-stage renal disease (ESRD)
• Improve the quality of care for people seeking kidney transplants
• Reduce disparities among individuals undergoing the process to receive a kidney transplant
• Increase the efficiency and capability of transplant hospitals selected to participate

In a press release published by CMS, HHS stated that people with ESRD who receive kidney transplants have better outcomes than people who receive dialysis, improvements in quality of life, and are freed from lengthy and burdensome dialysis treatments. They point to the scarcity of organs as a leading cause of increased patient mortality and a significant gap between demand and supply.

“Despite this scarcity, approximately 30% of donor kidneys go unused annually, highlighting gaps in procurement, distribution, and utilization,” they stated in the press release. “Prolonged waiting times, averaging three to five years or more, intensify patient suffering. With just over 28,000 kidney transplants performed in 2023 and more than 90,000 people on a waitlist during that same time, urgent measures are needed to improve the efficacy and efficiency of the system.”

The proposed IOTA model would measure participating transplant hospitals by increases in the number of transplants, increased organ acceptance rates, and post-transplant outcomes, and offer additional performance incentives to improve equity in the transplant process. IOTA would also hold kidney transplant hospitals accountable for the care they provide and require them to establish health equity plans that would identify and develop strategies to address gaps in access among populations in their communities.

Editor’s note: To read the CMS press release, click here. To access the proposed rule, click here.