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42 U.S. Code § 273. Organ procurement organizations
(a) Grant authority of Secretary
(1)
The Secretary may make grants for the planning of qualified organ procurement organizations described in subsection (b).
(2)
The Secretary may make grants for the establishment, initial operation, consolidation, and expansion of qualified organ procurement organizations described in subsection (b).
(b) Qualified organizations
(1) A qualified organ procurement organization for which grants may be made under subsection (a) is an organization which, as determined by the Secretary, will carry out the functions described in paragraph (2) [1] and—
(A)
is a nonprofit entity,
(B)
has accounting and other fiscal procedures (as specified by the Secretary) necessary to assure the fiscal stability of the organization,
(C)
has an agreement with the Secretary to be reimbursed under title XVIII of the Social Security Act [42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.] for the procurement of kidneys,
(D) notwithstanding any other provision of law, has met the other requirements of this section and has been certified or recertified by the Secretary within the previous 4-year period as meeting the performance standards to be a qualified organ procurement organization through a process that either—
(i) granted certification or recertification within such 4-year period with such certification or recertification in effect as of January 1, 2000, and remaining in effect through the earlier of—
(I)
January 1, 2002; or
(II)
the completion of recertification under the requirements of clause (ii); or
(ii) is defined through regulations that are promulgated by the Secretary by not later than January 1, 2002, that—
(I)
require recertifications of qualified organ procurement organizations not more frequently than once every 4 years;
(II)
rely on outcome and process performance measures that are based on empirical evidence, obtained through reasonable efforts, of organ donor potential and other related factors in each service area of qualified organ procurement organizations;
(III)
use multiple outcome measures as part of the certification process; and
(IV)
provide for a qualified organ procurement organization to appeal a decertification to the Secretary on substantive and procedural grounds; [2]
(E)
has a defined service area that is of sufficient size to assure maximum effectiveness in the procurement and equitable distribution of organs, and that either includes an entire metropolitan statistical area (as specified by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget) or does not include any part of the area,
(F)
has a director and such other staff, including the organ donation coordinators and organ procurement specialists necessary to effectively obtain organs from donors in its service area, and
(G) has a board of directors or an advisory board which—
(i) is composed of—
(I)
members who represent hospital administrators, intensive care or emergency room personnel, tissue banks, and voluntary health associations in its service area,
(II)
members who represent the public residing in such area,
(III)
a physician with knowledge, experience, or skill in the field of histocompatibility or an individual with a doctorate degree in a biological science with knowledge, experience, or skill in the field of histocompatibility,
(IV)
a physician with knowledge or skill in the field of neurology, and
(V)
from each transplant center in its service area which has arrangements described in paragraph (3)(G) with the organization, a member who is a surgeon who has practicing privileges in such center and who performs organ transplant surgery,
(ii)
has the authority to recommend policies for the procurement of organs and the other functions described in paragraph (3), and
(iii)
has no authority over any other activity of the organization.