AOPO History

For more than 25 years, the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) has been dedicated to helping its members save lives through donation and transplantation. Incorporated in 1984 as the Association of Independent Organ Procurement Agencies, the Association assumed its present name in 1988 when the Health Care Financing Administration (now the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) instituted a federal certification process for independent and hospital-based OPOs. At that time, standards established by the predecessor organization, the Association of Independent Organ Procurement Agencies, were adopted by the Health Care Financing Administration and applied to all OPOs. The name change reflected the inclusion of hospital-based OPOs.

AOPO has developed organizational and ethical standards for OPOs, offering a voluntary accreditation program to its members. This peer review process, conducted on-site, ensures compliance with federal regulations as well as AOPO standards. AOPO also works closely with Congress and voices concerns about legislative issues related to organ and tissue donation. Members are alerted to national issues on donation and transplant so that OPOs have an opportunity to prepare for possible local implications.

During the course of its history, the services and resources AOPO offers its members have grown tremendously. In June of 2010, AOPO held its 27th Annual Meeting in Baltimore, MD, a four-day meeting focused on collaboration, best practices and ideas to enhance organ and tissue donation throughout the United States. More than 600 individuals from around the country attended the meeting. Initial annual meetings lasted just one day and were used to conduct Association business, such as reviewing financial reports and guidelines, nominating officers and establishing program criteria.