A New Jersey organ harvesting organization is under intensifying scrutiny after nearly a dozen whistleblowers accused the group of alarming misconduct.
The organization, New Jersey Sharing Network, is accused of harvesting organs from patients who showed signs of life and then covering it up.
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO) and Oversight Subcommittee Chair Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ) sent a blistering letter on November 19 demanding documents and more than 30 transcribed interviews from the New Jersey Sharing Network.
The lawmaker letter cites what they called “several egregious actions and potential violations of federal and state statutes.”
The allegations, supplied by multiple insiders, upend years of industry assurances that misconduct claims were overblown.
Or as reform advocate Greg Segal put it, “the call is coming from inside the house.”
Patient “Reanimated” as Organ Recovery Began
The most explosive allegation says that during a circulatory-death organ recovery, a procedure requiring irreversible loss of heart and respiratory function.
The whistleblowers allege that the patient “reanimated” after the recovery process began.
According to the letter, when the administrator on call notified leadership, the Sharing Network allegedly told staff to continue with the recovery despite clear signs of life.
However, the hospital intervened and halted the procedure, saving the patient’s life.
Whistleblowers also say the organization “deleted or otherwise manipulated” documents related to the incident.
Hundreds Skipped on Wait List, Some Later Died
The letter further alleges:
• The Sharing Network skipped hundreds of patients on the transplant wait list
• Dozens of those patients later died
• The group harvested organs without proper consent
• It operated a fraudulent taxpayer-funded research program
• Leadership may have lied to Congress
• Staff worked under a “culture of fear and retaliation”
Lawmakers warned that under the current Medicare reimbursement model, OPOs may be incentivized to allocate organs out of sequence “to ensure reimbursement and can provide a quid pro quo to transplant hospitals.”
Claims of Manipulated Metrics: 100 Pancreata Thrown Out in One Day
In another allegation, the group is accused of discarding 100 pancreata in a single day, allegedly processed for “research.”
The committee says the volume appears engineered to boost CMS performance metrics by inflating organ recovery numbers.
“While organ research has driven remarkable innovations that improve and save lives, it is concerning that [the Sharing Network] is alleged to have taken advantage of a loophole in the current framework,” the letter said.
Congressional Leaders: Subpoenas Coming if Necessary
Rep. Smith said he is prepared to issue subpoenas if the organization does not comply.
“The allegations these brave whistleblowers have brought forward are some of the most disturbing we have seen in our ongoing investigation into organ procurement organizations,” Smith said.
“If this OPO or any of its senior officials attempt to mislead Congress, destroy records, or obstruct our efforts to get the truth, subpoenas are on the table.
“Compliance is not optional.”
He added that the behavior described “puts the integrity of America’s organ procurement system at stake.”
Experts Warn of Systemic, Premeditated Abuse
Organ reform advocate Greg Segal said the findings suggest the abuses were not isolated or accidental:
“This letter was informed by a dozen whistleblowers who shared documentation regarding specific abuses and potential crimes,” Segal said.
“This is a watershed moment and, I believe, moves these investigations squarely into criminality and corruption, rather than just incompetence or bad federal policy.”
Jennifer Erickson, a senior fellow at the Federation of American Scientists, called the allegations “a public health emergency.”
“The Ways and Means Committee documented shocking allegations of cover-ups at the highest levels of New Jersey Sharing Network, including the attempted harvesting of organs from a patient who was still alive,” she said.
Federal Agencies Begin Review
The letter was copied to HHS, CMS, the HHS Office of Inspector General, and the New Jersey attorney general.
HHS said the Health Resources and Services Administration has directed the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network “to investigate these allegations,” adding:
“These reforms are essential to restoring trust, ensuring informed consent, and protecting the rights and dignity of prospective donors and their families.”
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