National Organ Transplant Act of 1984

This article contains wording that promotes the subject in a subjective manner without imparting real information. Please remove or replace such wording and instead of making proclamations about a subject's importance, use facts and attribution to demonstrate that importance. (October 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

This article contains content that is written like an advertisement. Please help improve it by removing promotional content and inappropriate external links, and by adding encyclopedic content written from a neutral point of view. (October 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

National Organ Transplant Act

Long title	An Act To provide for the establishment of the Task Force on Organ Transplantation and the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, to authorize financial assistance for organ procurement organizations, and for other purposes.
Acronyms (colloquial)	NOTA
Enacted by	the 98th United States Congress
Effective	October 19, 1984
Citations
Public law	Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 98–507
Statutes at Large	98 Stat. 2339
Codification
Titles amended	42
U.S.C. sections created	42 USC § 273, 42 USC § 274
Legislative history
Introduced in the Senate as the "Organ Procurement and Transplantation Act" S. 2048 by Orrin Hatch (R-UT) on November 3, 1983 Committee consideration by United States Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources Passed the Senate on April 11, 1984 (voice vote) Passed the House on June 21, 1984 (voice vote) Reported by the joint conference committee on October 2, 1984; agreed to by the House on October 3, 1984 (voice vote) and by the Senate on October 4, 1984 (voice vote) Signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on October 19, 1984

The National Organ Transplant Act (NOTA) of 1984 is an Act of the United States Congress that created the framework for the organ transplant system in the country.^[1] The act provided clarity on the property rights of human organs obtained from deceased individuals and established a public-private partnership known as Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). The OPTN was given the authority to oversee the national distribution of organs.^[2]

Since the initial network contract was established in 1986, the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) has acted as the OPTN under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. OPTN policies are crafted by a diverse group of donation and transplant professionals. NOTA and subsequent regulations mandate that the OPTN prioritize fair patient access to transplantation while relying on objective medical evidence and adapting to advancements in clinical practices and scientific knowledge.