April, 2022
The American Society of Transplantation and the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) are proud to announce their strategic partnership with the Living Donor Circle of Excellence program. The Circle of Excellence seeks to increase the number of living organ donors by recognizing employers that provide lost wages while donors recover from surgery. To view the full press release,
click here.
The AST is pleased to announce the results of the 2022-2023 Communities of Practice (COP) Executive Committee (EC) elections. To view the full list,
click here.
Jennifer McDermott, PharmD, BCTXP, BCPS on behalf of the AST Transplant Pharmacy COP Public Policy Workgroup
The AST Transplant Pharmacy COP Public Policy Workgroup has been working on an important initiative for several years with the support of the AST Transplant Pharmacy COP Executive Committee and AST leadership. We are happy to share recent progress that will allow for broader medication access for solid organ transplant recipients.
As a compendium recognized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Medicare Part D plans utilize the information in IBM-Micromedex® for...
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February, 2022
Sam Strober, MD, passed away at his home in California on Friday, February 11th. Sam was a friend to many of us and a giant in the field of allograft tolerance induction. He was a Professor of Medicine at Stanford University and remained dedicated to his professional goals until the time of his death from multiple myeloma. Sam devoted his career to the translation of his pioneering work in rodents using total lymphoid irradiation and anti-lymphocyte serum to achieve stable mixed chimerism without graft-vs-host disease into a protocol that can be applied to adult human organ transplant...
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January, 2022
The FDA publishes this device shortages list to provide transparency to the American public, particularly those who use or purchase medical devices. The list fulfills a statutory obligation under section 506J of the FD&C Act and reflects the categories of devices the FDA has determined to be in shortage at this time and will be maintained and updated as the COVID-19 public health emergency evolves. The presence of a device type on this list does not necessarily indicate that patient care has been affected.
During the COVID-19 public health emergency, the FDA has taken many actions to...
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AST, ASTS, and ISHLT published a joint statement on COVID-19 vaccines with the latest detail about vaccinations in organ transplant candidates and recipients, including the latest references, details on booster and additional doses of mRNA vaccines, and updated recommendations pre- and post-transplantation.
Updated: March 13, 2022
Read Statement
November, 2021
We have been made aware of disruptions in the supply of UW Solution to some OPOs. Some suppliers have imposed caps on the amount of UW that can be ordered by a single entity to ensure an adequate supply to all their customers. We have reached out to the suppliers and offered our assistance with any regulatory or other governmental issues they may have that are impacting their supply of UW. In addition, we are coordinating our efforts with AST, ASTS, and UNOS.
In the near term, if you are having issues with obtaining adequate UW supplies, we recommend you check with multiple suppliers as the...
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For Giving Tuesday, CareDx has generously offered to match all research donations up to $50,000 from November 23 - December 7, 2021.
Don't miss the chance to double your impact. Our goal is to fund a 2022 transplant research grant. Please help us maximize this incredible opportunity by
donating today.
Donation Match and Donation Derby
Through December 7, your research donation will benefit both your COP(s) and the AST Research Fund. All research donations made by COP members will benefit the...
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October, 2021
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) announced that the End Stage Renal Disease Treatment Choices Learning Collaborative (ETCLC) went live on August 20, 2021 under the CMS Technical Assistance, Quality Improvement, and Learning (TAQIL) contract.
The TAQIL contract is responsible for the development of the ETCLC. This work supports the ETC payment model which encourages preventative kidney care, home dialysis, and kidney transplant as well as the broader Advancing American Kidney Health initiative. Much of this work is...
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September, 2021
Since the COVID-19 vaccine became available, ASTS, UNOS, AOPO, and AST have encouraged surgeons, physicians and staff receive the vaccine to minimize the risk to themselves and prevent respiratory disease and infection among the community and in particular our patients.
As the virus continues to evolve and vaccines are more widely available, many hospitals are mandating vaccination for their employees and vendors. ASTS, UNOS, AOPO, and AST not only encourage all surgeons to be vaccinated, but we also see the immediate need for any surgeon or allied health professional traveling away from...
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