The United Network for Organ Sharing is battling allegations that it is not resolving transplant problems at hospitals, according to an investigative report by the Los Angeles Times. The newspaper found that UNOS has been aware of severe and life-threatening situations, complications arising with transplant patients, and even falsification of donor criteria, but is essentially punishing the hospitals at fault with what amounts to a slap on the wrist. “It’s kind of like the fox guarding the chicken house,” said U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, in the Times. Grassley has ordered an investigation of the U.S. transplant oversight system by the Government Accountability Office. The UNOS board recently voted to revise its policies, including making public the names of hospitals on probation and accelerating some investigations.
