1CMS releases proposed CY 2027 Physician Fee Schedule and Part B payment rule for comment.
CMS published its proposed rule setting CY 2027 payment policies under the Physician Fee Schedule, along with updates to Part B payment, Quality Payment Program, ambulance fee schedule, and lab fee schedule rules. This is a proposal, not final policy, and it is open for public comment before it takes effect.
On your shift: The ambulance fee schedule and Part B changes touch how donor-related transport and services get billed, so your billing and finance teams will be reading this closely and may adjust documentation expectations on your cases.
Source: Federal Register - CMS Rules
2Qualitative study digs into why families decline organ donation.
Published July 24, this study looks directly at family perspectives on declining donation, drawing out the reasons and hesitations that come up in the room. It centers the family voice rather than the OPO workflow.
On your shift: Every no is a case you carried and a family you sat with, and this work names the specific concerns that drive declines, which can sharpen how you frame authorization conversations.
Source: PubMed (Organ Donation Research)
3New Zealand ICU study examines how grieving families arrive at consent to donate.
Published July 25, this study looks at the consent process inside intensive care units, focusing on how families reach a yes while in the middle of acute grief. It frames donation as a decision made between breaths, not a clean transaction.
On your shift: Timing and how you enter a grieving family's space shape the outcome, and this gives you language and evidence for pacing the approach rather than rushing it.
Source: PubMed (Organ Donation Research)
4Study reports lessons from patient and family co-design in transplant knowledge translation.
Published July 23, this study shares what worked and what did not when transplant patients and families were brought in as co-designers during the COVID-19 pandemic. It offers practical takeaways on genuinely engaging families as partners.
On your shift: The engagement principles here carry over to how OPOs build family-facing materials and follow-up, which affects the trust you rely on at the bedside.
Source: PubMed (Organ Donation Research)