In most states, there are a handful of hospitals that do transplants.
Most deaths happen where people are at the time they die. As a result, most hospitals that take care of a dying patient that wants to donate have very little to do with transplants. Most hospitals lose whatever financial interest they might have in a patient as soon as an OPO takes over.
The local docs sign off the case. The OPO’s docs take over.
A new medical record is created, with a new billing number where the hospital bills the OPO from that moment on. Because the hospitals have to cooperate with the OPOs, those bills normally are severely discounted. The hospital isn’t going to make a profit from that new bill.
For most hospitals, the only benefit from complying with donation is that it’s required by law. If you want to take a cynical approach, the hospital could make far more money by providing phenomenally expensive care to a dead patient on a ventilator, and leaving the OPO out of it. This is precisely why notifying the OPO is required by law. It protects you from being taken advantage of at the time of your death.
That may be, but the issue here is the site of the donation, not the implantation.
Most deaths happen where people are at the time they die.
I bet they are!
As a result, most hospitals that take care of a dying patient that wants to donate have very little to do with transplants.
The transplant is a two step process, and the initial surgery is done at the first hospital.
Most hospitals lose whatever financial interest they might have in a patient as soon as an OPO takes over.
Are you saying that the donating hospital isn't paid? Surely you jest.
The local docs sign off the case. The OPO’s docs take over. A new medical record is created, with a new billing number where the hospital bills the OPO from that moment on.
Again, they all benefit financially.
Because the hospitals have to cooperate with the OPOs, those bills normally are severely discounted. The hospital isn’t going to make a profit from that new bill. For most hospitals, the only benefit from complying with donation is that it’s required by law.
That is preposterous. Nothing that a hospital or doctor does in these cases is without profit. The only party not compensated in this process is the victim's estate.
If you want to take a cynical approach, the hospital could make far more money by providing phenomenally expensive care to a dead patient on a ventilator, and leaving the OPO out of it. This is precisely why notifying the OPO is required by law. It protects you from being taken advantage of at the time of your death.
Ha! So the reason reason the organ procurement organization is notified is to protect the victim?! These organizations are overriding victims' families to harvest victims organs for their own financial benefit.
Your tortured and nonsensical defense of this practice illustrates precisely why fewer people (percentage) are willing to donate their organs and the waiting lists are growing. If you really want to increase donations, you should be arguing against the decision in this case, not their critics.