HHS announces decertification of Network for Hope after federal reviews find patient-safety failures

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced at a press conference that HHS has decertified Network for Hope, an organ procurement organization based in Oregon that serves Kentucky and parts of Indiana, Ohio and West Virginia. Kennedy said federal reviews by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Health Resources and Services Administration found “persistent patient safety failures” and “serious deficiencies in nearly 30 percent of the cases” examined.

Kennedy framed the action as part of a broader effort to restore federal oversight and public trust in the organ-donation system, noting that about 103,000 Americans are currently waiting for transplants and that clinicians performed more than 49,000 organ transplants last year. “We will not tolerate organizations that compromise patient safety or betray the trust of donors or their families,” Kennedy said. Officials said the decision follows CMS and HRSA reviews and that agencies will coordinate to ensure continued patient care while CMS implements a process to replace the organization.