WASHINGTON, D.C. – Network for Hope – an organ procurement organization (OPO) that has been under investigation by the Ways and Means Committee for allegations of improper Medicare billing, financial conflicts of interest, and unsafe practices, including seeking non-viable organs to sell tissue for profit – has been issued a notice of decertification by Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. This is the second OPO under investigation by the Committee to be decertified by the Trump Administration. In September 2025, Secretary Kennedy issued a notice of decertification to the Life Alliance Organ Recovery Agency, a Miami-based OPO that faced allegations of Medicare fraud and lapses in patient safety.
Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (MO-08) issued the following statement:
“Fraud and medical misconduct committed by organ procurement organizations like Network for Hope is not only an affront to the American taxpayer that generously subsidizes their tax-exempt status but also is a grave threat to the health and well-being of American patients who could become victims of their profit-seeking schemes. The Ways and Means Committee has been relentless in our oversight efforts to bring to light the misdeeds, the fraud, and the gross negligence of OPOs that we have identified in our investigation, and I appreciate that we have been joined in this effort by the Trump Administration and its commitment to weeding out waste, fraud, and abuse. This decision to decertify a second OPO shows a seriousness of purpose in our efforts to establish a greater degree of accountability within this sector of our health care system so that organ donors, recipients, and their families can have greater faith in the system. Without that trust and confidence, more Americans will lose out on the life-saving benefits of organ donation.”
Way and Means Oversight Subcommittee Chairman David Schweikert (AZ-01) issued the following statement:
“Chairman Smith and I launched this investigation after reports that Network for Hope pushed ahead with organ recovery even when patients showed signs of life. That is unconscionable. I commend HHS for taking action to decertify the organization. Our investigation is not over, and we will continue to hold those responsible accountable and make sure taxpayers are not footing the bill for this conduct.”
The Committee’s investigation of Network for Hope followed a troubling report issued by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) that found officials associated with Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA), one of two OPOs that later merged to create Network for Hope, had pushed hospital workers to recover organs even when there were signs of revival in patients. As part of the investigation, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Smith (MO-08) and Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Schweikert (AZ-01) sent a letter to Network for Hope calling on the OPO to turn over documents and records related to its suspicious and potentially fraudulent activities.
In December 2025, the Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee held a hearing on OPOs as part of the Committee’s ongoing examination into the questionable and potentially life-threatening practices and financial decisions being made by these tax-exempt entities. The Subcommittee heard testimony from a former employee of the Kentucky OPO who described efforts to procure organs from a patient who had regained consciousness.
The Committee continues to investigate additional OPOs, including the New Jersey Sharing Network (NJTO). After speaking with nearly a dozen whistleblowers and receiving documents that appear to back up their claims, the Committee has obtained records and conducted transcribed interviews with NJTO employees and executives. Among the concerns that have been raised are allegations that NJTO covered up a horrific donation after circulatory death (DCD) case and allocated organs out of sequence with the national waitlist.
Early on in its investigation, the Committee also issued an open letter requesting information and input from the general public on OPO operations.
READ: Five Key Moments: Hearing on Holding Tax-Exempt Organ Procurement Organizations Accountable