OPOs Launch Project to Redefine Performance Evaluation Measures

MCLEAN, Va., March 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) is proud to announce the launch of an initiative to identify independently validated metrics to accurately measure Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) performance.

54 of the nation’s 55 OPOs have committed to the project, marking a significant investment by the community to bring transparency to the organ donation process and improve the U.S. system for organ donation and transplantation overall. By identifying updated measures, the project aims to strengthen accountability, trust, and equity within the system and ensure it remains lifesaving and world-leading for years to come.

The collaborative effort builds on significant progress made by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in developing metrics for evaluating OPO performance. The project begins immediately and is expected to conclude in 2026, ahead of the 2027–2030 OPO recertification cycle.

Following an extensive request-for-proposal process under AOPO’s leadership, Econometrica, Inc., has been engaged as the independent contractor to lead this project. Econometrica is a research and management firm specializing in data analytics, healthcare, and communications to provide leaders with the information they need to effect positive change.

“We are proud to support this critical initiative to enhance the understanding and evaluation of OPO performance,” said Econometrica President and CEO, Cyrus Baghelai. “Our extensive experience in data-driven insights and evidence-based solutions positions us to deliver impactful results.”

“Econometrica, Inc. is uniquely qualified to design transparent and trustworthy data systems for evaluating OPO performance,” said AOPO Metrics Project Task Force Co-Chair and President and CEO at Midwest Transplant Network, Jan Finn. “As an approved CMS-certified contractor, they are well-equipped to develop, test, and validate comprehensive metrics that holistically capture the work of OPOs.”

While CMS finalized new OPO metrics in 2020 for the 2026 recertification period, updated metrics that are more granular would assist in the ongoing identification of high-performing OPOs and successful practices across the United States. All OPOs that are a part of this initiative support CMS’ efforts to improve the system and seek to build on the agency’s framework by engaging Econometrica to refine, maintain, or develop new metrics aligned with recommendations from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) report, Realizing the Promise of Equity in the Organ Transplantation System.

This project aims to create a suite of independently validated metrics rooted in data integrity to strengthen transparency around OPO performance. The NASEM report raises key areas for consideration in improving OPO metrics, including:

• Developing a dashboard of metrics to assess OPO performance, incorporating measures to address disparities, response rates to referrals, and others;
• Establishing a consensus-based process to determine the donation rate measure;
• Utilizing patient-level data with granular information on referrals of ventilated deaths, donor medical suitability, and other key information; and
• Transitioning to electronically reported data with minimal lag time.

“We are advocating for strong metrics that will offer the public a true and transparent picture of OPO performance,” said AOPO Metrics Project Task Force Co-Chair and CEO of Network for Hope, Barry Massa. “It is our goal that these updated metrics will more directly address the responsibilities of the OPO, accurately define its role in saving lives, and deliver valuable data and insights that support our system partners and oversight bodies.”

The development process will involve a rigorous, consensus-based approach, engaging independent experts and diverse stakeholders beyond the OPO community. This collective effort includes transplant patients, donor families, transplant centers, donor hospitals, and oversight bodies, all working together to improve system performance and strengthen the mission of OPOs to increase organ donation and save more lives. AOPO is committed to collaborating with CMS on future metric adoption.

About the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO)
The Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) is the not-for-profit trade association leading 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 47 member OPOs. AOPO envisions a future where every opportunity for donation results in lives saved. For more information, please visit www.aopo.org.

Contact Information:
Jenny Daigle | jdaigle@aopo.org 

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SOURCE Association of Organ Procurement Organizations