In the United States, an organ procurement organization (OPO) is a non-profit organization that is responsible for the evaluation and procurement of deceased-donor organs for

organ transplantation Organ transplantation is a medical procedure in which an organ (anatomy), organ is removed from one body and placed in the body of a recipient, to replace a damaged or missing organ. The donor and recipient may be at the same location, or organ ...

. There are 57 such organizations in the United States, each responsible for organ procurement in a specific region, and each a member of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), a federally mandated network created by and overseen by the

United Network for Organ Sharing The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) is a non-profit, scientific and educational organization that administers the only Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) in the United States, established () by the U.S. Congress in 1984 ...

(UNOS). The individual OPOs represent the front-line of organ procurement, having direct contact with the hospital and the family of the recently deceased donor. Once the OPO receives the consent of the decedent's family, it works with UNOS to identify the best candidates for the available organs, and coordinates with the surgical team for each organ recipient. The organization’s executive director Steve Miller. OPOs are also charged with educating the public to increase awareness of and participation in the organ donation process. __TOC__

List of organ procurement organizations

All organ procurement organizations in the United States are members, by law, of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (administered by the

, and are also members of the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations. Many of the OPOs are also members of Donate Life America. Some OPOs are affiliated with hospitals and are not considered independent.

References

{{reflist Organ transplantation