Clarification of pre existing liver disease
Proposal Overview
Status: Implemented
Sponsoring Committee: Liver and Intestinal Organ Transplantation
Strategic Goal: Promote the efficient management of the OPTN
Policy Notice 12/2019 (PDF - 679 K)
Note: The policy notice was originally published 12/2019, and revised 4/20/20.
View the Board Briefing Paper (11/2019)
Read the proposal (PDF; 8/2019)
Contact: Betsy Gans
At a glance
You may be interested in this proposal if
- You are a liver program director
- You are a liver program administrator
- You are a liver clinical coordinator
Here’s what we propose and why
- OPTN policy allows patients meeting specific criteria for fulminant hepatic failure to be eligible for listing as Status 1A when patients are “without pre-existing liver disease”.
- The policy is ambiguous regarding whether or not receipt of a prior liver transplantation constitutes a “pre-existing liver disease”.
- Patients who meet the criteria for a Status 1A listing due to fulminant hepatic failure, but have received a previous liver transplant, should be able to be listed as Status 1A regardless of their receipt of a prior transplant.
- This proposal will clarify policy language so that pre-existing liver disease does not include those who received a prior liver transplant.
Why this may matter to you
The policy language will be clear so that liver programs understand if their candidates meet criteria to be eligible for listing as a Status 1A when they have had a prior liver transplant.
Tell us what you think
- Will this change make the policy more clear?