The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has begun the process of decertifying Network for Hope, a federally designated organ procurement organization (OPO), after federal officials concluded the organization failed to correct serious patient safety deficiencies first identified during a sweeping investigation last year.

Investigation Findings

A 2025 HHS investigation found that some potential donors may still have been alive when organ procurement began. The investigation reviewed 351 Network for Hope cases involving authorized organ donations that ultimately did not occur and found that at least 28 patients may not have been deceased when organ procurement began.

HHS ordered Network for Hope to perform a root cause analysis, strengthen donor eligibility criteria, and establish safeguards allowing staff to halt organ recovery procedures when patient safety concerns arose. However, after months of intensified federal oversight, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) have independently concluded the organization did not demonstrate sufficient improvement.

Decertification Process

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has initiated the decertification process, stating that Americans who choose to become organ donors deserve a system that honors their gift and protects every patient. The action is part of the administration’s broader effort to reform the nation’s organ donation and transplant system following federal findings involving donor evaluations and patient safety practices.

CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said the action to begin the decertification process sends a broader message to healthcare providers participating in federal programs. “If you can’t be trusted to safeguard patients and be responsible stewards of American taxpayer dollars, we’ll find organizations that can,” Oz said.

Original reporting: The Dallas Express — read the source article.