Policy and Procedure for Consideration of Candidates with Substance Use Disorders

PURPOSE: To ensure nondiscrimination on the basis of disability in the evaluation of candidates with Substance Use Disorders.

POLICY:  Massachusetts General Hospital has ongoing initiatives to treat Substance Use Disorders as chronic illnesses with improved access to effective treatment opportunities available across all care settings. Mass General will not impose eligibility criteria that unnecessarily deny or limit treatment for individuals on the basis of disability, including Substance Use Disorders, and those who are receiving treatment for Substance Use Disorders. Candidacy for organ transplantation is not, therefore, excluded for Mass General patients with Substance Use Disorders under appropriate treatment programs, including opioid agonist therapy. Mass General will also not otherwise discriminate on the basis of disability. Organ-specific transplant programs will continue to assess each potential recipient on a case-by-case basis including psychosocial screening by Selection Committees.

Approval: Massachusetts General Hospital Transplant Center Executive Committee – September 16, 2020