The US Department of Health and Human Services has decertified an organ procurement organization after it was revealed that some patients had begun showing signs of regaining consciousness. HHS took aim at Network for Hope, an organ procurement organization serving Kentucky and parts of Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia. It was discovered that the organization engaged in persistent patient safety failures despite oversight systems in place.
“Americans who choose to become organ donors deserve a system that honors their gift and protects every patient,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He said the action “reflects the Trump Administration’s commitment to protecting the sanctity of life. Organizations that repeatedly fail to meet federal standards and put patients at risk will be held accountable.”
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has also revealed that out of 351 cases where organ donation was authorized, but ultimately not completed between 2021 and 2024, 73 cases involved patients with neurological signs incompatible with organ donation. The review further found that some donors may not have been deceased at the time the procurement process was initiated, and that there were poor neurologic assessments and questionable consent practices, among other findings.
The decision to decertify Network for Hope follows HHS’s 2025 effort to reform the organ transplant system. HHS explained at the time of launching the reform process that the agency’s findings confirm the Trump administration’s concerns that “entrenched bureaucracies, outdated systems, and reckless disregard for human life have failed to protect our most vulnerable citizens.” The department pledged to restore “integrity and transparency to organ procurement and transplant policy by putting patients’ lives first,” a move it claimed was critical to “restoring trust, ensuring informed consent, and protecting the rights and dignity of prospective donors and their families.”
