New Jersey's Organ Procurement Organization on Brink of Federal Contract Loss Over Allegations of Egregious Actions and Potential Violations.
A federal investigation into New Jersey's organ procurement organization has uncovered "several egregious actions" and potential violations, including a whistleblower account of an organ being harvested from a living patient and allegations of a cover-up. The investigation led by lawmakers sent a scathing letter to the CEO of the New Jersey Organ and Tissue Sharing Network (NJTO), questioning whether the organization should retain its tax-exempt status.
The accusations against NJTO are part of a broader trend in federal oversight of the nation's 55 organ procurement organizations, which contract with the government to oversee organ donations and transplants. This is not an isolated incident; U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently terminated a government contract with a Florida-based organization due to safety concerns.
The investigation's findings include allegations of potential Medicare fraud, lack of patient consent before harvesting organs, out-of-sequence organ transplants, and a culture of fear and retaliation within the organization. The letter cites whistleblowers who claimed NJTO staff contacted the CEO after an incident at Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Camden, New Jersey, where a patient "reanimated" after the donor organization began the process of recovering organs.
Furthermore, lawmakers allege that NJTO attempted to cover up this case by deleting both donation records and emails. This revelation has sent shockwaves through the organ transplant community, with one advocate labeling it as potentially criminal activity.
The investigation also raised concerns over NJTO's practices, including extracting pancreases only to meet a federal requirement for the number of donations. The organization claimed these were being recovered for research purposes but allegedly discarded 100 pancreases after hearing about federal on-site investigations at other organ procurement organizations.
NJTO has been accused of misleading families into believing a person was registered as an organ donor through the state's Motor Vehicle Commission, and the organization allegedly skipped patients on the waiting list for organs. The letter states that NJTO allocated 25% of all organs out of sequence, a rate higher than the national median.
As the investigation continues, lawmakers warn that the findings may inform legislative reforms aimed at closing loopholes in the system, which have led to "quid pro quo" relationships between hospitals and organ procurement organizations.
A federal investigation into New Jersey's organ procurement organization has uncovered "several egregious actions" and potential violations, including a whistleblower account of an organ being harvested from a living patient and allegations of a cover-up. The investigation led by lawmakers sent a scathing letter to the CEO of the New Jersey Organ and Tissue Sharing Network (NJTO), questioning whether the organization should retain its tax-exempt status.
The accusations against NJTO are part of a broader trend in federal oversight of the nation's 55 organ procurement organizations, which contract with the government to oversee organ donations and transplants. This is not an isolated incident; U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently terminated a government contract with a Florida-based organization due to safety concerns.
The investigation's findings include allegations of potential Medicare fraud, lack of patient consent before harvesting organs, out-of-sequence organ transplants, and a culture of fear and retaliation within the organization. The letter cites whistleblowers who claimed NJTO staff contacted the CEO after an incident at Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Camden, New Jersey, where a patient "reanimated" after the donor organization began the process of recovering organs.
Furthermore, lawmakers allege that NJTO attempted to cover up this case by deleting both donation records and emails. This revelation has sent shockwaves through the organ transplant community, with one advocate labeling it as potentially criminal activity.
The investigation also raised concerns over NJTO's practices, including extracting pancreases only to meet a federal requirement for the number of donations. The organization claimed these were being recovered for research purposes but allegedly discarded 100 pancreases after hearing about federal on-site investigations at other organ procurement organizations.
NJTO has been accused of misleading families into believing a person was registered as an organ donor through the state's Motor Vehicle Commission, and the organization allegedly skipped patients on the waiting list for organs. The letter states that NJTO allocated 25% of all organs out of sequence, a rate higher than the national median.
As the investigation continues, lawmakers warn that the findings may inform legislative reforms aimed at closing loopholes in the system, which have led to "quid pro quo" relationships between hospitals and organ procurement organizations.
... How can an org be harvesting organs from living patients? That's just insane! 
And the fact that they're trying to cover it up is just disgusting 
. I mean, what's going on with our healthcare system? It's supposed to be about saving lives, not profiting off people's bodies. 
We need to get to the bottom of this and make sure that these orgs are held accountable for their actions. 
This is a huge wake-up call for us all and it's time for some serious change. 
. And that whistleblower account is wild - reanimating someone after organ removal? That's just crazy talk 
. The fact that they're deleting records and trying to cover it up only makes things worse 
. I'm not surprised the US Health Secretary terminated a contract with another org due to safety concerns, but this NJTO thing takes the cake 
. We need to make sure these orgs are held accountable and that patients' rights are protected 
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. It's like they're making deals behind people's backs and selling their organs on the black market or something. This whole system needs a serious overhaul, in my opinion 
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the idea that 100 pancreases got discarded because of a federal investigation is just sickening 
this has to be looked into so badly, i hope those in charge take some real action 
this is just unacceptable! I mean think about it, people are literally dying on these waiting lists because of some greedy organization trying to meet a quota 
The government needs to take a closer look at these organ procurement organizations and make sure they're working for the people, not just lining their own pockets. 