Trump administration moves to shut down Miami organ-donation group over underperformance

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration moved Thursday to shut down a Miami organ-donation group, calling it "failing" because of underperformance, unsafe practices and paperwork errors. The Life Alliance Organ Recovery Agency is one of 55 organ procurement organizations, nonprofit agencies around the country that coordinate the recovery of organs from deceased donors and help match them to patients on the national transplant waiting list. The administration cited an investigation that found a 2024 case where an unspecified mistake led a surgeon to decline a donated heart for a patient awaiting a transplant.

In a news briefing, CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said problems included would-be donations that went unrecovered, sending some donated organs to the wrong place and a lack of staff. Life Alliance, a division of the University of Miami Health System, can appeal the decision. If it is shut down, it would mark the first time the federal government has decertified an OPO. Life Alliance didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

More than 100,000 Americans are on the transplant waiting list, and thousands die waiting because there aren’t enough donations to go around. Last year there were more than 48,000 transplants, a record, the vast majority from deceased donors. Changes to the transplant system have been underway for years to increase donations, reduce waste of potentially usable organs and address other concerns. They include safeguards after complaints last year that a different OPO didn’t stop donation preparations quickly enough when some patients showed signs of life, prompting some people to opt out of donor registries.

Oz sought to reassure would-be donors. "Congress has thoughtfully and aggressively pursued some horrifying stories that have chilled some Americans’ enthusiasm for donating organs. We are here today to tell you this system is safe. It’s rigorously being addressed," he said, adding later, "I want to applaud the OPOs that are doing a great job because most are." The Associated Press was not able to independently verify every detail of the investigation cited by federal officials, but the AP is the sole responsible for all content.

The move underscores ongoing federal oversight of organ-procurement networks as the government works to increase donations, curb waste and address safety concerns raised in recent years. If Life Alliance is decertified, the decision would reverberate through hospitals, transplant centers and patients awaiting life-saving organs, highlighting the fragile balance between expanding access and maintaining strict regulatory standards.