The Organ Transplantation Affinity Group (OTAG)

The Organ Transplantation Affinity Group (OTAG), led by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), is a collaborative seeking to drive improvements in organ donations, clinical outcomes of transplantation, system improvement, quality measurement, transparency, and regulatory oversight.

A joint effort

CMS and HRSA are collaborating through OTAG on the following joint activities to achieve the above goals:

• Enhancing collaboration on federal policy development, implementation, and communication to improve transparency and advance progress on national goals.
• Harmonizing data across the organ transplantation system to improve system performance and develop a core set of national organ transplantation system performance metrics.
• Strengthening accountability to patients, families, and the public by:
  • Advancing access to transplantation by collecting data and establishing criteria for standardization and transparency of waitlist practices;
  • Ensuring a transparent process for intake of stakeholder complaints and ensuring that concerns and recommendations are addressed in a timely manner; and
  • Promoting patient safety and engagement.

A plan of action

OTAG’s 2023-2028 Action Plan serves as a roadmap to improve the performance of the U.S. transplantation system to meet the five national goals listed above. Each of the OTAG national goals is supported by strategies that will be implemented by CMS and HRSA.