NURSING HOMES, HOSPICE & HOSPITALS

Nursing Homes, Hospice & Hospitals

It takes a collective effort to provide tissue donation options to families in a large geographic area. Medical professionals play a vital role in the success of donation and transplantation. Save a Life America specially trained staff works closely with our donation partners to help make donation options possible for those in need. By aligning with you towards a common goal, we can together offer more families the opportunity to donate and help SAVE A LIFE.

We support you throughout the entire process. We’ll handle donor medical screening, donor registry confirmation, family authorization and recovery team logistics. Our trained team work closely with prospective donor families over the phone to educate, counsel, empower and remind them that one donation can SAVE A LIFE.

HIPAA INFORMATION

THE REFERRAL & DONATION PROCESS

When a patient passes away, a member of your facility contacts Save A Life America. Contacting Save A Life America within one hour is very important so families are fully supported in their end-of-life decisions.

Save a Life America staff will evaluate the patient for donation eligibility. Please do not assume that someone is ineligible for tissue transplant due to illness, injury or age.

Save a Life America staff will coordinate the best plan for a family conversation about donation. This begins with Save a Life America confirming the patient’s donor registry status.

Our staff will educate and counsel grieving families over the phone, discussing the patient’s registry status and tissue donation options.

Once the donation authorization is confirmed, Save a Life America makes arrangements for the recovery of tissue donation. The tissue recovery process will most often take place at the funeral home, but may be also be at the local medical examiner or coroner’s facility.

Questions about a current referral or in need of guidance? Contact our office for assistance or more information: We can be reached at donors@savealifeamerica.org, or 858.643.9373

DONOR DESIGNATION AND THE LAW

When a person has indicated his or her decision to become a donor—most often done by indicating their wishes on their driver’s license—they have made a legally binding commitment to make an anatomical gift. During such an emotional time, most families are relieved to know that the decision to donate has already been made by their loved one. However, there are times when a family may question that decision. In those instances, we’ll work closely with families to help them understand and follow the state laws that govern a person’s decision to donate. Below are links to the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act (UAGA) for California

Uniform Anatomical Gift Act UAGA

CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATIONS (COP) FOR ORGAN AND TISSUE DONATION

COP is a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regulation that health care organizations must meet in order to begin and continue participating in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. These health and safety standards are the foundation for improving quality and protecting the health and safety of beneficiaries. The COP that covers organ and tissue donation is intended to increase organ donation and save lives. All hospitals that receive Medicare reimbursement must identify and refer all deaths and imminent deaths to the local regional Donor Referral Line.

The COP requires hospitals to do the following:

Notify the designated Donor Referral Line of all individuals who have died or whose death is imminent. “Imminent death” is defined as a severely neurologically injured ventilator dependent patient with either a Glasgow Come Score </=5 or with discussion about withdrawal of support.

Continue to apply discretion and sensitivity with respect to circumstances, views and beliefs of the families of potential donors.

Have an agreement with the designated organ procurement organization and at least one tissue and eye bank.

Maintain a cooperative working relationship with the donation agencies for: education of staff on donation issues, review of death records to improve identification of potential donors, and maintaining potential donors.

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