Key Takeaways
HHS began decertifying Network for Hope, the organ procurement organization covering Kentucky and parts of Indiana, Ohio and West Virginia, after federal reviews found patients who may not have been dead when organ recovery began.
The Health Resources and Services Administration reviewed 351 cases from 2021 through 2024 where donation was authorized but not completed, and a separate May 2026 CMS review found the same problems still unresolved.
Network for Hope says it will appeal. Federal rules give it 15 business days to request reconsideration, and its service area cannot open to a new provider until that process ends.
The Department of Health and Human Services said Wednesday it is decertifying Network for Hope, the organ procurement organization responsible for Kentucky and parts of Indiana, Ohio and West Virginia, after years of federal reviews turned up what officials called persistent patient safety failures. The Health Resources and Services Administration examined 351 cases from 2021 through 2024 in which organ donation was authorized but never completed, and found poor neurological assessments, weak coordination with hospital medical teams and questionable consent practices. According to Healthcare Dive, HHS concluded that at least 28 patients may not have been deceased when the organ procurement process was initiated.
The case that triggered the broader investigation dates to 2021, when Network for Hope's predecessor allegedly kept preparing to recover organs from a man who had overdosed even as he began regaining consciousness. The procurement never happened and the man survived. HRSA ordered corrective action last year. CMS opened its own review in May and found the same gaps in donor evaluations and oversight had not been fixed, which is what pushed both agencies to act now.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a statement that "today's action reflects the Trump Administration's commitment to protecting the sanctity of life." The reaction in Congress was bipartisan and fast. Republicans Brett Guthrie and John Joyce cited their Energy and Commerce oversight work, Democrat Ron Wyden called it a sign the whole transplant system needs reform, and Ways and Means Republicans Jason Smith and David Schweikert noted it is the second organ procurement group decertified this year, after Florida's Life Alliance was replaced by the Nevada Donor Network. Jennifer Erickson of the Federation of American Scientists put the stakes in plain terms, telling Healthcare Dive that Network for Hope had been a "deadly risk to 7 million people across Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, and West Virginia."
Network for Hope disagrees and plans to appeal, per AP News. It keeps its federal certification and its service territory during the appeal, and hospitals in the region say patients should not see any disruption in care in the meantime. More than 100,000 Americans are currently waiting for a transplant. This is the same accountability instinct we tracked when the FTC went after Hims and Hers for handling patient data carelessly, and when 24 states sued over TANF data sharing this month. Federal oversight of institutions that hold enormous power over vulnerable people only works when someone actually enforces it.
People Also Ask
What is Network for Hope?
Network for Hope is the federally designated organ procurement organization for Kentucky and parts of Indiana, Ohio and West Virginia, responsible for coordinating organ donation with hospitals in the region.
Why did HHS decertify Network for Hope?
HRSA and CMS reviews found persistent patient safety failures, including cases where potential donors may not have been deceased when organ procurement began, along with weak neurological assessments and consent practices.
Will this disrupt organ donation in Kentucky?
Network for Hope keeps its certification during its appeal, and the University of Kentucky HealthCare transplant program says it does not expect a service disruption in the near term.
What happens if Network for Hope loses its appeal?
Federal rules require CMS to select a new organ procurement organization for the region, similar to how the Nevada Donor Network took over Florida's territory after a 2026 decertification there.