Policy on Liver Transplants May Have Worsened US Health Disparities

In February 2020, the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) implemented a new liver allocation policy to improve accessibility to liver transplants. Previously, patients in the US had received the organs from a donation service area that served a single region. But under the new UNOS policy, patients could now receive a liver from a wider geographic area—an “acuity circle” spanning a 500-nautical-mile radius. However, a recent study published in JAMA Surgery revealed that this change may have led to higher and disproportionate liver transplant costs for communities facing health care disparities.