Problems with organ-donation contractor
The United Network for Organ Sharing, which oversees the U.S. systemfor organ transplants, often does not detect or act on problems, areport says.The Los Angeles Times said it found that, in instances of high organfailure and death rates, UNOS routinely keeps quiet about findings ofinvestigations, leaving patients and families in the dark.The Times conducted its own investigation of the little known agency. The newspaper said UNOS has had to deal with a rising number oflife-threatening lapses at facilities it oversees over the past year.The Times said after it uncovered failures at two centers inCalifornia, both programs suddenly closed. The Times said it often takes a year or more for UNOS to take actionwhen increasing failures occur. Also, UNOS officials have been missingsigns of trouble, including transplant center statistics on its own Website, the newspaper said. UNOS, headquartered in Richmond, Va., receives $2 million from thefederal government and about $23 million in fees from transplantcenters annually.