Outgoing Richmond-based UNOS CEO shares open letter as new contract with federal government begins
VENN
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Two days after starting her retirement, the outgoing CEO of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) shared an open letter with the community after the organization reached a contract agreement with the federal government to continue its work.
The morning of Tuesday, Dec. 30, Maureen McBride, the former CEO of UNOS, a Richmond-based organization federally contracted to oversee organ transplants in the U.S., reflected on her three decades of service and the future of the Organ Procurement & Transplantation Network (OPTN) in an open letter.
In her letter, McBride said UNOS is "undergoing monumental change," emphasizing the need for the federal government to ensure that every dollar serves patients and to be more transparent about how money is being spent on OPTN contracts. She also called for a patient-focused approach in the organ transplant system.
"More money and more contractors alone are not enough," McBride wrote in the letter. "HRSA (Health Resources and Services Administration) must ensure that every dollar serves patients - not profit. The government must deliver for the patients in need and must be more transparent about how money is being spent on these OPTN contracts."
At HRSA’s direction, patient safety, compliance and policy development activities through OPTN Committees have since paused, beginning Tuesday, or have been assumed by HRSA until new contracts are awarded. According to McBride, this is due to "HRSA [resisting] engaging in conversations to create a seamless handoff."
The letter comes after UNOS announced on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, that it reached a contract agreement with the federal government to continue its work -- a contract that took effect on Tuesday.
With this new contract, which allows HRSA the option to extend UNOS’ work for up to 12 months, until Dec. 29, 2026, with four three-month periods, McBride said the public should expect the federal government to coordinate and understand the organ donation and transplant system.
UNOS said in a social media post back in mid-November that the government owes the organization about $20 million in reimbursement, with more than $13 million past due.
The organization was forced to furlough and lay off hundreds of employees during the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history.
In her letter, McBride highlighted the many accomplishments UNOS achieved during her 30 years with the organization and expressed hope that the federal government will coordinate and understand the organ donation and transplant system.
Some of the accomplishments she noted include the creation of data-driven tools to help save lives, a GPS tool tracking organ shipments and advocating to Congress to require FAA recommendations to improve transportation for organs on commercial flights.
"Now, as UNOS takes on a much smaller role in supporting the OPTN, HRSA’s responsibility is greater," she wrote. "The stakes could not be higher for patients. I’ll be watching closely and rooting for your success."
The organization previously announced McBride's retirement on Dec. 11 after 30 years with the organization.
