Researchers have found evidence of gaming -- exaggerating the severity of a heart patient's condition -- at heart transplant centers prior to 1999 to increase the likelihood of obtaining a transplant organ, but not after that year when new policies governing the patient waiting list went into effect.

Dr. Dennis Scanlon, assistant professor of health policy and administration at Penn State, says, "Although we did not find evidence of gaming after 1999, suggesting that the new policy regulates the system competently, the competition driving gaming still exists. We need to remain vigilant because the continued competition for scarce transplantable organs could encourage new kinds of gaming."

The findings are published in the paper, "Does Competition for Transplantable Hearts Encourage 'Gaming' of the Waiting List," in the March/April issue of Health Affairs. The authors are Scanlon; Dr. Christopher S. Hollenbeak, assistant professor of surgery and health evaluation sciences, Penn State College of Medicine; Woolton Lee, doctoral candidate in health policy and administration, Penn State College of Health and Human Development; Dr. Evan Loh, assistant vice president of cardiovascular/infectious disease, Wyeth Corp.; and Dr. Peter A. Ubel, associate professor of internal medicine and psychology, University of Michigan, and director of the U-M Health System's Program for Improving Health Care Decisions.

Currently, demand exceeds the supply of transplantable hearts in the United States. In 2003, 3,517 people were on the waiting list, compared with 1,174 heart transplants performed, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), which develops allocation procedures and maintains lists that give priority to the sickest patients.

Organ Procurement Organizations (OPO) obtain and disperse the transplantable hearts within a specific geographical region. Since long transport could damage cadaver hearts, organs obtained in an OPO are used primar
'"/>

Contact: Barbara Hale
bah@psu.edu
814-865-9481
Penn State
9-Mar-2004

Page: 1 2 3
Related medicine news :

1. Public policy should address the social factors behind ill health
2. End AIDS drug waiting lists, HIV care providers tell policymakers
3. Disease testing for immigrants: Discrimination disguised as public health policy
4. Public interest advocates question NIH Enhanced Access policy
5. Post election 2004: Whats in store for health policy
6. Supporters of NIH policy see publishers gambit as possible diversion
7. IDSA offers policy Rx for influenza vaccine shortage
8. Change in polio vaccine policy eliminates cases of vaccine-associated polio in US
9. Federal policy has failed to prepare nation for possibility of bioterrorism
10. Current policy for complex surgery is misguided
11. Should compulsory screening of immigrants be part of UK public health policy?