Penn State Health will no longer perform liver and kidney transplants in Hershey.
Less than two weeks after suspending the process of connecting with UNOS (Unified Network for Organ Donation Penn State Health is reviewing the program's organizational structure. The kidney and liver transplant program at Milton S. Hershey Medical Center will be discontinued.
“This was not an easy decision, as we know our community relies on us to provide the health care services they need and want us to provide,” Penn State Health said in a written statement.
“We are proud to have maintained a 100% survival rate for patients who have undergone our kidney and liver transplant program since its relaunch in 2023. However, in discussions with UNOS and in our own review of the program, it has become apparent that given the ongoing challenges we face in continuing the program, ending it at this time is the right response,” the health system said.
The move will not affect Penn State Health's heart transplant program or stem cell and bone marrow transplant programs, which will continue without interruption, the health department said.
UPMC of Central Pennsylvania performs kidney transplants in Harrisburg and works with Penn State Health for eligible patients, a UPMC spokesman said Tuesday.
UPMC performs liver transplants in Pittsburgh and also offers clinics for patients in Harrisburg, York and Chambersburg.
According to Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital's website, the hospital provides a care clinic for kidney patients preparing for transplants at Penn Medicine in Philadelphia.
In September 2022, the Organ Donation and Transplant Network (OPTN) declared Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center an “ineligible member.”
According to OPTN's bylaws, ineligible membership is the most severe membership action OPTN can take independently and is intended to provide public notice to OPTN members who have committed serious violations of OPTN policies or bylaws or have experienced serious deficiencies in patient safety or quality of care, OPTN said in a statement at the time.
The OPTN cited reports of complications from surgery, questions about the validity of surgical expertise, and a culture of retaliation for reporting potential problems.
“The hospital is working with OPTN on corrective measures,” Diane Lapointe-Rudoux, vice chair and chair-elect of the OPTN board of directors, said at the time. “The OPTN Membership and Professional Standards Committee and our board will continue to review our progress through confidential peer evaluations and help us make any improvements necessary to ensure patient safety.”
In March 2023, Penn State Health announced it had established a “world-class” team of surgeons to lead a new abdominal organ transplant program at Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
At the time, Penn State Health said the new program would fill a critical medical need for central Pennsylvania residents with kidney and liver disease.
“We voluntarily paused our program in April 2022 to make improvements, and since then we have been building an abdominal transplant program that the people of Central Pennsylvania want,” said Deborah Addo, chief operating officer of Penn State University Medical Center, who oversaw the project at the time. “Our new surgeons join our medical specialty directors and lead one of the best kidney and liver care teams in the country.”
In halting the program, the Pennsylvania State Department of Health said, “We recognize we have work to do to meet the expectations of our center and provide the services that those who rely on us deserve. It is in our patients' best interest to focus for now on the many programs and services for which we have a proven track record and an excellent reputation.”
Penn State Health said it is helping people on waiting lists for kidney and liver transplants transition to other transplant centers.
“Our team of kidney and liver specialists will continue to provide post-transplant care for patients who have already received transplants and specialized medical management for patients with kidney or liver disease who do not require a transplant,” Penn State Health said in a statement Tuesday.
