CMS Proposes Mandatory Organ Transplant Model

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed a new mandatory model to improve kidney transplant access, reduce disparities, help certain hospitals perform better transplants, reduce Medicare spending, and assist in locating living donors.

The Increasing Organ Transplant Access (IOTA) Model is a six-year plan set to begin on January 1, 2025. The plan would evaluate participating hospitals’ performance based on the number of transplants they complete, organ acceptance rates, and post-transplant outcomes. Hospitals would also be required to create health equity plans to help underserved communities. Of the 257 transplant hospitals in the United States, 90 (35%) would need to participate in the IOTA Model.

“Modernizing the organ transplantation system is a top priority for the Biden administration,” said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure in a statement. “Kidney transplantation helps people live healthier and longer lives because they no longer have to undergo dialysis. The IOTA Model would be an important step forward in improving the kidney transplant process for everyone on a waitlist and those who have received a transplant.”