Joint Commission examines the issue of organ donation.

Organ donation has always been a part of the Joint Commission’s commitment to health care quality. In the 2004 hospital standards, JCAHO has continued to promote organ donation and cooperative organ procurement practices. Through its hospital accreditation standards, JCAHO has placed responsibility for organ donation squarely in the lap of hospital leadership. Standard LD.3.110 states that a hospital must implement policies and procedures developed with the participation of the medical staff for procuring and donating organs and other tissues. The 12 elements of performance associated with this standard require hospitals to, among other things, partner with an organ procurement organization (OPO), notify the OPO in a timely manner of patients who have died or whose death is imminent, work with the OPO to obtain consent from the family of each potential donor, and educate staff about donation issues and procedures.