May 13, 2019

UW organ and tissue donation honors 17 hospitals for maximizing the gift of life

Madison, Wis. — Seventeen hospitals are being honored by University of Wisconsin Organ and Tissue Donation (UW OTD) for their ongoing commitment to saving and improving lives through organ and tissue donation.

The UW OTD Award of Hope recognizes the comprehensive work of hospitals that achieve or exceed the goals of two important measures that maximize the gift of life: the true conversion rate (TCR), which measures the percent of medically eligible donors that become actual donors; and organs transplanted per donor (OTPD), which measures the average number of organs recovered from each donor. Hospitals earn a gold, silver or bronze award depending on an OTPD of 3.25 (bronze), a true conversion rate of at least 75 percent (silver), or meeting both metrics (gold).

The Excellence in Tissue Donation award is given to hospitals that achieve at least a 60 percent consent rate. This metric measures the collaborative work between the hospital staff and tissue bank in coordinating communication around tissue consent conversations.

The Family Care Award recognizes the comprehensive work of one hospital each year that exemplifies the highest standards of family support during an organ donation case. To be eligible for the award, a hospital must demonstrate consistent innovative family support practices and have at least one outstanding case example of those practices in action from the previous calendar year.

This year, UW OTD is proud to announce the inaugural Donn Dexter Physician Excellence Award, which recognizes the comprehensive work of one physician exemplifying the highest standards of donation support. To be eligible for the award, a physician must provide care within the UW OTD donation service area, demonstrate consistently supportive medical donation practices, as well as advocate on behalf of organ donor patients and families. This individual is recognized within the health care team as a leader and key resource in championing donation causes and overcoming challenges in the donation process.

"The clinical management of donors, coupled with a hospital's compassionate support of donor families, is a critical component to saving lives through the gift of organ donation and transplantation," said Michael Anderson, executive director of UW OTD. "We honor these hospitals and their incredible physicians and nursing teams for working so hard to help ensure that those who are waiting for a transplant will get a second chance at life."

The 2018 Award of Hope winners were honored during a ceremony May 8 in Wisconsin Dells and include the following institutions:

Recipient

Award

Aspirus Wausau Hospital (Wausau)

Bronze Award of Hope + Excellence in Tissue Donation

Mayo Clinic Health System (Eau Claire)

Bronze Award of Hope + Excellence in Tissue Donation

Mercy Hospital and Trauma Center (Janesville)

Gold Award of Hope + Excellence in Tissue Donation

UW Health - University Hospital (Madison)

Bronze Award of Hope + Excellence in Tissue Donation

SSMHealth St. Mary's Hospital (Madison)

Silver Award of Hope + Excellence in Tissue Donation

American Family Children's Hospital (Madison)

Bronze Award of Hope

Ascension Mercy Hospital (Oshkosh)

Gold Award of Hope

HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital (Eau Claire)

Silver Award of Hope

SwedishAmerican Hospital (Rockford, Ill.)

Bronze Award of Hope

ThedaCare Regional Medical Center (Neenah)

Silver Award of Hope

Aurora BayCare Medical Center (Green Bay)

Excellence in Tissue Donation

Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center (La Crosse)

Excellence in Tissue Donation

Ascension St. Michael's Hospital (Stevens Point)

Excellence in Tissue Donation

Aspirus Langlade Hospital & Clinics (Antigo)

Excellence in Tissue Donation

Aspirus Riverview Hospital & Clinics (Wisconsin Rapids)

Excellence in Tissue Donation

SwedishAmerican Medical Center (Belvidere, Ill.)

Excellence in Tissue Donation

Sauk Prairie Hospital (Prairie du Sac)

Family Care Award

Dr. Donn Dexter, Mayo Clinic Health System (Eau Claire)

Inaugural Winner of the Dr. Donn Dexter Physician Excellence Award

UW OTD is a federally designated organ procurement organization serving 108 hospitals in Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois.