HOUSTON – One of the most prominent medical centers in the state of Texas has halted acceptance of liver and kidney transplants.
Last week, Memorial Hermann Hospital released a statement announcing that they have inactivated their liver transplant program due to “a pattern of irregularities” with donor acceptance criteria within the database of the United Network for Organ Sharing.
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The UNOS is a nonprofit that operates the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). A representative of the organization confirmed that only transplant centers can enter or remove patients from the OPTN computer system, meaning the UNOS itself was not responsible for the abnormalities.
Memorial Hermann said that the donor acceptance inconsistencies that led to the program’s halting were limited to the liver transplant program. However, today they announced they have also inactivated their kidney transplant program. The attributed the additional step to a “shared leadership structure” between the two programs. They also said they will begin evaluating “a new physician leadership structure.
“We are working with all impacted patients and families from both the liver and the kidney transplant programs to ensure that they have the care and support that they need,” the hospital said in the statement. “Our primary commitment has always been to provide quality care to our patients, and it is with that in mind that we have made this difficult decision.”