Measures aim to strengthen accountability, improve performance, and save more lives

MCLEAN, Va., Nov. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) announced the submission of three additional performance measures to the Partnership for Quality Measurement (PQM) for national endorsement, advancing a multi-year effort to strengthen accountability, improve organ procurement organization (OPO) performance, and save more lives through organ donation and transplantation.

The new measures expand OPO performance evaluation beyond the initial stages of donation, providing greater insight into clinical practices and actionable opportunities for continuous quality improvement. They include:

1. Donor Management Goals (DMG) Bundle Rate: Assesses the effectiveness of donor care and identifies opportunities to optimize organ function and increase the number of organs available for transplant.
2. Organs Recovered Per Donor (ORPD) Rate: Evaluates the average number of organs recovered for transplantation from each deceased donor, regardless of whether the organs are ultimately transplanted.
3. Organ Utilization Rate: Evaluates the percentage of organs recovered that are ultimately transplanted into recipients. It provides insight into organ nonuse and opportunities for OPOs, transplant centers and other stakeholders to maximize utilization while maintaining patient safety.

The submission builds on recent progress in AOPO’s OPO Performance Measurement Project, launched in partnership with 53 OPOs and Econometrica, Inc. In October, two measures submitted earlier this year — Referral Rate and Approach Rate — earned national endorsement through PQM’s independent, consensus-based review process.

“Each step in the organ donation process presents opportunities to improve performance and ultimately save more lives,” said AOPO President Allison Erickson. “These additional measures move us closer to a more complete understanding of OPO performance and provide meaningful data to guide quality improvements across the donation and transplantation system.”

PQM is operated by Battelle, which is contracted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as its Consensus-Based Entity for health care quality measure endorsement and maintenance. The independent review process evaluates measures for scientific soundness, relevance, feasibility, and potential to improve quality and accountability.

Expanding Performance Measurement Across the Donation Process

The current CMS framework for evaluating and re-certifying OPOs relies on just two outcome measures — Donation Rate and Transplant Rate — that have not undergone independent peer review or endorsement. While clinical outcomes are essential, these measures have well-documented flaws and limitations and do not fully capture the complexity of OPO performance or identify opportunities for meaningful improvement throughout the donation process.

“We cannot improve this lifesaving system if we do not measure it accurately. These three new measures enable OPOs to isolate specific clinical activities that contribute to organ availability.” said Econometrica Health Practice Area Director Dr. Jean O’Connor. “The measures also help promote donor safety and innovations that contribute to organ use by transplant programs. Securing national endorsement will help elevate best practices nationwide.”

Advancing a Comprehensive Framework for Quality Improvement

Development of the measures has included collaboration with OPO professionals, clinicians, researchers, quality experts, donor families, transplant recipients, and other stakeholders. The project incorporates data analysis, measure testing, stakeholder feedback, and established CMS measure development standards.

AOPO’s quality improvement framework emphasizes the importance of evaluating process and outcome measures together. Building on this approach, AOPO will continue working with OPOs, policymakers, and other stakeholders to support the evaluation, implementation, and appropriate use of these measures.

With more than 100,000 people awaiting lifesaving organ transplants nationwide, the public deserves performance measures that reflect the complexity of organ donation, strengthen accountability, and drive meaningful improvements to save lives.

Learn more about AOPO’s OPO Performance Measurement Project and access measure resources at aopo.org/opo-metrics-project/measures.

About the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO)
AOPO leads the nation’s organ donation community to save and improve lives through organ, eye, and tissue donation. Founded in 1984, AOPO advances organ donation and transplantation by driving continual improvement of the donation process, collaborating with stakeholders, and sharing successful practices with its 45 member OPOs. AOPO envisions a future where every opportunity for donation results in lives saved. Visit aopo.org to learn more.

Contact Information:
Jenny Daigle | jdaigle@aopo.org

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SOURCE Association of Organ Procurement Organizations