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  • The VA Transplant Program: ...
    Gunnar, William

    American journal of transplantation, 20/May , Letnik: 19, Številka: 5
    Journal Article

    The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Transplant Program was established decades ago, is well resourced, and provides timely and high quality solid organ transplant care and services to a Nation of Veterans. In the past few years, the VA Transplant Program has received criticism that can be characterized as follows: the location of VA Transplant Centers (VATCs) requires Veterans to travel considerable distances for transplant care and services; the National Surgery Office (NSO) that provides oversight limits the number of active VATCs; Veterans Health Administration (VHA) policy limits referral of Veterans to non‐VA transplant centers (community care); and the VA Transplant Program does not provide living donor transplant procedures. The MISSION Act of 2018 (Public Law 115‐182) was enacted in part to address these themes by promoting community care and living donation. This article provides perspective regarding the VA Transplant Program and rebuttal to stated criticism: Travel to a transplant center is not isolated to the VA; the NSO does not limit VATC activation; current VHA policy authorizes community care; and the VA Transplant Program currently performs living donor procedures. The MISSION Act, as intended, has the potential to decrease referrals to the VA Transplant Program by 30%. This Special Article analyzes the current delivery of transplant care and services by the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Transplant Program and the potential for change upon implementation of the VA Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks Act of 2018 (Public Law 115–182). See commentary from Bennett on page 1259.