McLean – November 10, 2026 -- The Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) has submitted three additional performance measures to the Partnership for Quality Measurement (PQM) for national endorsement, extending a multi-year push to replace the two unendorsed outcome measures that CMS currently uses to evaluate organ procurement organizations (OPOs).
Three measures target donor care, organ recovery and utilization
The Donor Management Goals (DMG) Bundle Rate assesses the effectiveness of donor care and flags ways to optimize organ function and raise the number of organs available for transplant. The Organs Recovered Per Donor (ORPD) Rate tracks the average number of organs recovered from each deceased donor, whether or not those organs are ultimately transplanted.
The Organ Utilization Rate measures the share of recovered organs that are transplanted into recipients. It gives OPOs, transplant centers and other stakeholders data on organ nonuse while maintaining patient safety.
Two earlier measures cleared PQM review in October
The submission builds on AOPO's OPO Performance Measurement Project, run with 53 OPOs and Econometrica, Inc. In October, Referral Rate and Approach Rate, both submitted earlier this year, won national endorsement through PQM's independent, consensus-based review.
PQM is operated by Battelle, which holds the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) contract as its Consensus-Based Entity for health care quality measure endorsement and maintenance. Reviewers assess measures for scientific soundness, relevance, feasibility and potential to improve quality and accountability.
CMS framework relies on two measures that lack independent review
CMS evaluates and re-certifies OPOs using only Donation Rate and Transplant Rate. AOPO says neither has undergone independent peer review or endorsement, and that both have "well-documented flaws and limitations" and do not capture the full complexity of OPO performance.
Econometrica Health Practice Area Director Dr. Jean O'Connor said the new measures let OPOs isolate the specific clinical activities that affect organ availability. She added that they support donor safety and innovations that raise organ use by transplant programs.
More than 100,000 patients are waiting for transplants
AOPO President Allison Erickson said the measures provide data to guide quality improvement across the donation and transplantation system. More than 100,000 people are awaiting organ transplants nationwide.
Development involved OPO professionals, clinicians, researchers, quality experts, donor families and transplant recipients. The project applies data analysis, measure testing, stakeholder feedback and established CMS measure development standards. AOPO will keep working with OPOs and policymakers on implementation and appropriate use of the measures.