UNOS DonateLife

October 3, 2005

UNOS Again Receives National Transplant Network Contract

Richmond, VA -- Richmond-based United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) has again been awarded the federal contract to manage the nation's Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). The contract was awarded by the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). UNOS has operated the OPTN since its inception in 1986.

"We are pleased to continue to serve the needs of transplant candidates awaiting the gift of life, those who make it possible through the decision to donate, and the professionals who are involved in organ recovery and transplantation," said UNOS Executive Director Walter Graham.

"The awarding of this contract is a testimony to the outstanding performance of the OPTN/UNOS in its oversight of the practice of organ transplantation in the United States," said UNOS President Francis Delmonico, M.D. "The renewal of the contract challenges the OPTN/UNOS further to sustain the increase in organ donation that has been realized and to equitably distribute these organs while providing the most effective use of a treasured resource."

All transplant hospitals and organ procurement organizations nationwide are members of UNOS and the OPTN. Under the contract UNOS will be responsible for a number of key functions, including:

• developing and implementing equitable organ distribution policies
• enhancing the availability of organ donors and transplantable organs
• assisting in organ placement for transplantation
• monitoring member compliance with transplant policies and quality of transplant outcomes
• collecting and maintaining data on all transplant candidates and recipients, as well as data on living and deceased organ donors
• educating the public and medical professionals about donation and transplantation

"In this new contract, we share with HHS in short-term and long-term goals to increase significantly the number of organ donors per year, the number of organs transplanted per donor and the long-term survival of transplant recipients," said Graham. "These goals are challenging to us all, but we can achieve them with the public's growing commitment to organ donation and with the expertise and dedicated service of transplant professionals."

The new contract has a seven year term with a base period of two years and five option years. The estimated value of the contract is $198 million over the full seven years. The federal government will fund approximately 8 percent of that amount directly. The remainder of contract funding comes from fees assessed to individual member institutions. Under the previous five year contract ending September 30, 2005, UNOS received $103 million.

UNOS, a non-profit, 501(c)3 charitable membership organization, provides additional services to support organ donation and transplantation through private funding. These activities include promoting public commitment to organ donation, statistical research to enhance transplant outcomes, and informational resources to support transplant candidates and their families.

UNOS' headquarters are located in the Virginia BioTechnology Research Park. The facility is also the home of the National Donor Memorial to honor the spirit and the legacy of organ and tissue donors.

The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) is operated under contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Division of Transplantation by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). The OPTN brings together medical professionals, transplant recipients and donor families to develop organ transplantation policy.