On April 3, Houston-based Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center reactivated its abdominal transplant program after a yearlong pause.
In March 2024, the medical center voluntarily halted its liver transplant program after a pattern of irregularities with donor acceptance criteria. The hospital also paused the kidney transplant program because it shared the same leadership structure as liver transplants.
The former head of Memorial Hermann’s abdominal transplant program, Steve Bynon, MD, admitted to altering patient records in the United Network for Organ Sharing database, leading to denied care. In one example, a patient was listed as a 300-pound toddler.
In February, the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network declared Memorial Hermann Hospital a “member not in good standing” — a sanction that the OPTN has doled out only one other time in the last 19 years, according to a Feb. 26 report from the Houston Chronicle.
A spokesperson confirmed to Becker’s on April 8 that the medical center has “fully cooperated with all regulatory agencies and swiftly implemented corrective actions,” adding the facility now has support from the OPTN to reactivate the transplant program.
In addition to taking the corrective actions, the hospital said, “We have also implemented several crucial changes — including strategic personnel and leadership governance and structural changes — to ensure the smooth, effective and efficient reactivation of the program. Throughout this time, our foremost priority is to ensure the continuity of high-quality care for our patients.”
