American Society of Transplantation

Hundreds of transplant patients, physicians, and health equity advocates join Honor the Gift rally on Capitol Hill to implore President Biden and HHS Secretary Becerra to immediately restore Medicare coverage of critical blood tests that detect organ tran

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, December 5, 2023

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Congressman Don Bacon (R-NE-02), Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), co-sponsors of the Living Donor Protection Act, Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House, Reverend Al Sharpton, civil rights and social justice leader, and Al B. Sure!, universally celebrated recording artist and liver transplant recipient, joined the Honor the Gift coalition and the American Association of Kidney Patient's (AAKP) Chair of Policy and Global Affairs Paul T. Conway, and other leaders in the field for a press conference on Capitol Hill, calling on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra, and President Joe Biden to stop the current attempt by private contractors to rollback Medicare coverage for innovative molecular blood tests for transplant patients.

Key Points: 
  • The critical tests at issue help detect organ transplant rejection early and reduce the need for invasive biopsies.
  • For example, many transplant patients receive these sequential blood tests post-transplant to monitor their transplanted organ.
  • The results of each blood test can provide a potential early warning of organ transplant rejection and injury before other indicators.
  • Especially troubling is that some of these patients who have not received testing may unknowingly be suffering from asymptomatic organ transplant rejection.

Transplant Recipient & Music Legend Al B. Sure! & Global Civil Rights Leader Rev. Al Sharpton Announce New "Health Equity in Transplantation Coalition" to Oppose Medicare Cutbacks for Transplant Patient Blood Tests to Detect Early Signs of Organ Rejection

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, November 28, 2023

WASHINGTON, Nov. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Al B. Sure!, a successful 2022 organ transplant recipient and champion of the transplant patient community and universally celebrated multi-platinum recording artist, singer, songwriter, producer and syndicated radio host and Rev. Al Sharpton, a globally renowned civil rights and social justice leader, radio and TV show host, today announced the formation of the national "Healthy Equity in Transplantation Coalition." Al B! will serve as "Executive Chairman" of the Coalition, and Rev. Sharpton as "Senior Advisor." The purpose of the Coalition is to immediately reverse the March 2, 2023, restrictions on Medicare coverage of transplant patient blood tests to detect early signs of organ rejection.  

Key Points: 
  • Sure!, a successful 2022 organ transplant recipient and champion of the transplant patient community and universally celebrated multi-platinum recording artist, singer, songwriter, producer and syndicated radio host and Rev.
  • Al Sharpton, a globally renowned civil rights and social justice leader, radio and TV show host, today announced the formation of the national "Healthy Equity in Transplantation Coalition.
  • " The purpose of the Coalition is to immediately reverse the March 2, 2023, restrictions on Medicare coverage of transplant patient blood tests to detect early signs of organ rejection.
  • "It makes no sense to take away Medicare coverage for these underserved transplant recipients who can take these blood tests at home.

Honor the Gift disputes CMS' claim that there is no change in Medicare coverage of blood tests for monitoring rejection in transplant patients

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, September 27, 2023

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Honor the Gift, a coalition representing organ transplant patients across the nation, along with other allied leaders across the transplant field, respond to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) press release stating that "neither CMS nor the Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) have made changes that affect patients' ability to have blood tests used to monitor for organ transplantation rejection covered when ordered by their physicians in medically appropriate circumstances."  

Key Points: 
  • The Honor the Gift coalition finds this statement inaccurate and contradicted by patients and physicians nationwide.
  • The changes announced on March 2, 2023, have alarmed transplant patients and clinicians across the nation, followed by an apparent decline in physician ordering of these vital blood tests1.
  • The Honor the Gift coalition and allies dispute this assertion – this is not a "clarification" but a change in coverage policy.
  • The concerns raised by patients, clinicians, and Congress emphasize the need for continued dialogue to restore longstanding Medicare coverage.

National transplant patient and physician groups ask President Joe Biden and HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra to: "Stop private contractors from rolling back Medicare coverage of non-invasive blood tests to detect transplant rejection"

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, September 21, 2023

WASHINGTON, Sept. 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Honor the Gift, a coalition representing organ transplant patients across the nation, along with other allied leaders across the transplant field, held a press conference, calling on President Joseph R. Biden and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra to stop the current attempt by private contractors to rollback Medicare coverage of safe, non-invasive molecular blood tests that can allow for the early detection of organ rejection.

Key Points: 
  • -- Paul Conway, AAKP
    Medicare coverage for these innovative blood tests became available for transplant patients starting in 2006, with coverage expanding in 20171.
  • The alternative for such blood tests is surgical biopsy procedures, which are more expensive, riskier, and burdensome.
  • See statements from American Society for Transplant Surgeons , American Society of Transplantation , and The International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation .
  • This billing article was issued without allowing for public comment, including comments from the transplant patients who would be impacted.

Miromatrix Poster Voted Best in Congress at the 2023 American Transplant Congress; Jack Lake Wins Lifetime Achievement Award

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, July 13, 2023

"We appreciate the opportunity to present our kidney work at ATC, and it was an honor to receive the Best in Congress acknowledgment," said Jeff Ross, Ph.D., Miromatrix CEO.

Key Points: 
  • "We appreciate the opportunity to present our kidney work at ATC, and it was an honor to receive the Best in Congress acknowledgment," said Jeff Ross, Ph.D., Miromatrix CEO.
  • "Thanks to our talented team of scientists, including David Lo, for advancing our work to someday provide new options to the thousands of patients who need a kidney transplant."
  • Also at ATC, Jack Lake, MD, Miromatrix Medical Director, received the American Society of Transplantation's (AST) 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award.
  • The award - the Society's highest honor – recognizes Dr. Lake's outstanding achievements and contributions to the AST and the field of transplantation.

Leading Patient Advocacy Groups Launch Honor the Gift Campaign to Oppose Medicare Restrictions to Post-Transplant Diagnostic Testing

Retrieved on: 
Monday, May 15, 2023

WASHINGTON, May 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading transplant advocacy groups announced today the re-activation of the Honor the Gift campaign, a coalition dedicated to advocating for greater access and coverage to ensure the long-term health of transplant patients. The reinvigorated campaign, which originally contributed to the successful passage of the Immuno Bill, will take on the latest challenge following Medicare's recent restriction of non-invasive diagnostic tests for solid organ allograft injury. Additionally, the coalition will focus on state and federal policies to protect and expand access to innovative tests that are vital to post-transplant patient's health.

Key Points: 
  • The Honor the Gift campaign will focus first and foremost on restoring Medicare coverage following the March 2023 release of a billing article that restricts coverage of non-invasive post-transplant diagnostic tests like dd-cfDNA and GEP.
  • A recent survey of transplant patients found that 95% believe reduced coverage for non-invasive tests would negatively impact their post-transplant care.
  • "I am proud to be part of the Honor the Gift campaign to advocate for continued coverage.
  • American journal of transplantation: official journal of the American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons vol.

CareDx Reports First Quarter 2023 Results

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, May 10, 2023

CareDx, Inc. (Nasdaq: CDNA) – The Transplant Company™ focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of clinically differentiated, high-value healthcare solutions for transplant patients and caregivers – today reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2023.

Key Points: 
  • CareDx, Inc. (Nasdaq: CDNA) – The Transplant Company™ focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of clinically differentiated, high-value healthcare solutions for transplant patients and caregivers – today reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2023.
  • Non-GAAP net loss was $5.8 million in the first quarter of 2023, compared to a non-GAAP net loss of $6.8 million in the first quarter of 2022.
  • Adjusted EBITDA for the first quarter of 2023 was a loss of $6.4 million, compared to an adjusted EBITDA loss of $5.6 million in the first quarter of 2022.
  • CareDx is withdrawing 2023 revenue guidance at this time given a multitude of unknown variables related to the March and May 2023 Billing Article revisions.

CareDx Key Supporter of the National Kidney Foundation’s Annual Kidney Patient Summit

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 1, 2023

CareDx, Inc. (Nasdaq: CDNA), a leading precision medicine company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of clinically differentiated, high-value healthcare solutions for transplant patients and caregivers -- today announced that it is sponsoring the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) Annual Kidney Patient Summit taking place on Capitol Hill on March 1-2, 2023.

Key Points: 
  • CareDx, Inc. (Nasdaq: CDNA), a leading precision medicine company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of clinically differentiated, high-value healthcare solutions for transplant patients and caregivers -- today announced that it is sponsoring the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) Annual Kidney Patient Summit taking place on Capitol Hill on March 1-2, 2023.
  • This marks the eighth consecutive year that CareDx is supporting NKF’s Annual Kidney Patient Summit, which is held each year in March in recognition of National Kidney Month, a time when communities across the country raise awareness about kidney disease.
  • “CareDx is proud to join forces with NKF to ensure optimal care for patients living with kidney disease and to accelerate the early detection of chronic kidney disease to help reverse or delay the need for transplantation,” said Reg Seeto, CEO and President of CareDx.
  • “On behalf of our volunteers, patients and advocates, we are deeply grateful for CareDx’s steadfast support of our Annual Kidney Patient Summit,” said Kevin Longino, transplant recipient and Chief Executive Officer at the National Kidney Foundation.

Equify Health CEO Sylvie Leotin To Keynote American Society of Transplantation 2023 Summit

Retrieved on: 
Monday, February 20, 2023

MENLO PARK, Calif., Feb. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- America's healthcare system continues to suffer from disparities in care and outcomes – with minority groups disproportionately affected. Equify Health Founder and CEO Sylvie Leotin will offer research-based insights and guidance to improve the patient experience and outcomes as the keynote speaker for the American Society of Transplantation's (AST) Cutting Edge of Transplantation (CEoT) summit on Feb 24, 2023, in Scottsdale, AZ. Leotin found the impetus for her mission from personal experiences when she fought for but did not always receive high-quality care for her cancer at one of the country's best hospitals. Her substantial experience as a design innovation expert and strategic consultant, advising venture-backed startup companies, also guided Leotin, who has been recognized as a Genentech healthcare innovation award winner.

Key Points: 
  • "The key to achieving health equity lies in improving patient experiences," says Sylvie Leotin, healthcare innovation pioneer and cancer survivor.
  • Equify Health Founder and CEO Sylvie Leotin will offer research-based insights and guidance to improve the patient experience and outcomes as the keynote speaker for the American Society of Transplantation's (AST) Cutting Edge of Transplantation (CEoT) summit on Feb 24, 2023, in Scottsdale, AZ.
  • "We're thrilled she will bring this expertise to our transplant community as the keynote speaker for our CEoT23 summit."
  • Before founding Equify Health, Leotin was CEO of Tech Atelier, a strategy consultancy advising innovative startup companies.

Talaris Therapeutics Announces First Quarter Financial Results and Corporate Update

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, May 12, 2022

BOSTON and LOUISVILLE, Ky., May 12, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Talaris Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: TALS), a late-clinical stage cell therapy company developing therapies with the potential to transform the standard of care in solid organ transplantation and severe immune and blood disorders, today reported financial results for the three-month period ended March 31, 2022, and provided an update on its business.

Key Points: 
  • It has been a productive start to the year, stated Scott Requadt, Chief Executive Officer of Talaris.
  • Alongside the meeting, we also plan to provide an interim update on our open-label FREEDOM-1 clinical study.
  • Talaris maintains corporate offices in Boston, MA, its cell processing facility in Louisville, KY, and additional research operations in Houston, TX.
  • Talaris explicitly disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.