2026
- The AST signed on to a letter with other organ donation and transplant community stakeholders commenting on the FAA’s proposed rule Designation-Restrict the Operation of Unmanned Aircraft in Close Proximity to a Fixed Site Facility; Docket Number FAA-2026-4558.
- The AST led a coalition sign-on letter urging the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to exempt individuals awaiting or recovering from organ transplants from Medicaid community engagement requirements.
- The AST submitted comments in response to the Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA) request for comment on the proposed "Modification of the Living Organ Donation Reimbursement Program Eligibility Guidelines in Response to the Honor Our Living Donors Act."
- The AST submitted comments in response to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Request for Information on Drug Repurposing for Unmet Medical Needs. (July 2026)
- The AST submitted comments in response to the proposed rule, "Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance," that would significantly change the federal grant-making process. (July 2026)
- The Past Presidents of the AST and ASTS submitted a letter to FDA Commissioner Martin A Makary, urging him to hold a roundtable meeting on strategies to address the urgent need to accelerate the development and approval of new immunosuppressive therapies for transplant recipients (April 2026)
- The AST submitted formal comments to CMS in response to the proposed rule Organ Procurement Organizations Conditions for Coverage: Revisions to the Conditions for Coverage, ensuring the transplant community's perspectives were represented in the regulatory process. (March 2026)
- The AST joined the Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research in signing onto its FY2027 funding recommendation letter (March 2026)
- The AST sent a letter urging the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to issue clarifying guidance to formally recognize transplant professionals as serving the national interest of the United States within the H-1B visa program (February 2026)
- The AST submitted a response to the IOTA proposed rules public comment (February 2026)
- The AST submitted a response to the NIH/NIAID RFI: Clinical Trials in Organ Transplantation (CTOT) Program (January 2026)
2025
- The AST submitted a Public Comment for Proposed Local Coverage Determination - MolDX: Molecular Testing for Solid Organ Allograft Rejection (August 2025)
- The AST submitted a Request for Information- Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (August 2025)
- The AST submitted a letter about the future of the U.S. organ transplant system - OPTN Modernization and Reform
- The AST submitted a letter about the proposed cuts to NIH funding to HHS.
- The AST submitted comments to HRSA prior to the agency’s submission of the Information Collection Request entitled “Process Data for Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network” to the Office of Management and Budget (January 2025)
2024
- The AST submitted comments to NIH regarding the HOPE Act safeguards and research criteria for the transplantation of organs infected with HIV (December 2024)
- The AST submitted a comment letter on the IOTA Model (July 2024)
- The AST submitted a comment letter on CMS Research Data Requests and Access (May 2024)
- The AST wrote a letter to Taylore Fox in response to queries on the implentation of the Medicare Part B-ID Beneft (March 2024).
- The AST wrote a letter in support of adoption of FY 2024 Appropriations Report Language Addressing Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (March 2024).
2023
- The AST and ASTS wrote a letter to Commissioner Califf at the FDA to show the societies' strong support for the value of surrograte endpoints such as the iBox to innovate the field of transplant immunology (October 2023).
- The AST submitted a letter to both HHS and HRSA to offer its partnership in addressing the OPTN Modernization efforts (September 2023).
- The AST joined ASTS in a letter to HHS sharing comments regarding the 2024 HOPPS Proposed Rule (September 2023).
- The Society joined other stakeholders in the organ donation and transplantation community to request the inclusion of a provision in the next FAA reauthorization to promote efficient transportation of donated organs through the U.S. commercial aviation system. This would enable the transport of donated organs in the passenger cabin rather than the cargo hold of airplanes (June 2023).
- The AST submitted a letter to MolDX to seek clarification regarding its recent decision to limit reimbursement coverage for molecular diagnostics for transplantation such as donor derived cell free (cf)DNA and gene expression profiling (April 2023).
- The AST joined onto a multi-signatory Friends of HRSA coalition letter supporting the proposed FY2024 budget increase for HRSA programs (March 2023).
- AST submitted feedback regarding CMS-0057-P, a proposed rule regarding conveying information about prior authorizations for drugs (March 2023).
2022
- The AST submitted a letter to HHS and CMS regarding the need for the continued advancement of biomarker research in the area of organ transplantation (December 2022).
- The AST and ASTS submitted a letter in response to the CMS proposed rule on the 2023 Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System "HOPPS" (September 2022).
- The Society submitted a Letter regarding medically necessary dental coverage of organ transplant patients in response to CMS-1770-P (September 2022).
- The AST submitted a response to the CMS RFI on Medicare (CMS-4203-NC) to share thoughts regarding living organ donation and transplantation provisions and organ transplant recipient medication access (August 2022).
- The AST and ASTS submitted a letter to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra, regarding the National Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) report, "Realizing the Promise of Equity in the Organ Transplantation System" (August 2022).
- The AST responded to CMS regarding CMS-4199-P: Implementing Certain Provisions of the Consolidated Appropriations Act and Other Revisions to Medicare Enrollment and Eligibility Rules, which lays the framework for implementation of the Immuno Bill (June 2022).
- The AST released a statement on the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade (June 2022).
- The AST responded to HRSA’s request for information that seeks to strengthen and improve components of the OPTN contract as it works towards issuing a request for proposal for the next OPTN contract (May 2022).
- The AST signed on to letters to the House and Senate to seek support for additional COVID-19 relief funding to prioritize therapeutic purchasing and research for new treatments, including prophylactic therapies and antiviral medications that are much needed for immunocompromised individuals.
- The AST joined a number of other organizations in a multi-signatory response to CMS regarding a recent RFI, Revisions to Personnel Regulations, Proficiency Testing Referral, Histocompatibility Recommendations, and Fee Regulations under the CLIA Amendments of 1988 (April 2022).
- The Society responded to a CMS Request for Information (RFI) on Health and Safety Requirements for Transplant Programs, Organ Procurement Organizations, and End-Stage Renal Disease Facilities (February 2022).
2021
- The AST sent letters to Truven Health Analytics and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists to request review of compendium content on a number of transplant-related drugs to request for expansion of "Non-FDA Uses" section to include off-label indications as listed (December 2021).
- The AST signed on to a letter to the CDC encouraging the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Advisory Committee (CLIAC) to modernize CLIA regulations for laboratory developed tests (LDTs) (November 2021).
- The Society submitted a letter to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to ask that access to a third dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine be strongly considered for transplant recipients (August 2021).
- The AST joined nearly 50 transplant stakeholder organizations in a joint letter to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Brooks-LaSure in opposition to transplant policy proposals included in the recent 2022 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) Proposed Rule (June 2021).
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