The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), the organization that coordinates the allocation of donated organs in the United States, has been considering a change in the way livers are distributed to reduce disparities in liver waiting lists in different parts of the country. On both coasts, transplant patients often wait significantly longer for livers than patients in the Midwest and South. As a result, they typically get much sicker before receiving a transplant. Transplant doctors in the Midwest say they’re concerned that Midwestern patients would suffer unfairly under UNOS’ proposal. Doctors at The University of Kansas Hospital are especially opposed to the plan, which they say would simply change where patients die rather than improve overall health outcomes.
