Now the nation’s transplant system is aiming to make the wait for livers, and eventually all organs, less dependent on your ZIP code. New rules mandating wider sharing of donated livers went into effect Tuesday despite a fierce and ongoing hospital turf war in federal court. Overall, UNOS’ registry shows nearly 114,000 people are waiting for an organ transplant. The new policy: Patients near death within 500 nautical miles (575 miles) from a donor hospital will be offered a liver first. UNOS pledged Tuesday to evaluate if the new liver rules have the intended effect, acknowledging “this has been a challenging time” of strife between transplant centres.

Source: National Post May 14, 2019 16:52 UTC