Last year, we reported on problems in the organ transplant system, including that officials were ignoring patient waitlists and steering organs to favored hospitals nearly 20% of the time.
Today, the rate has dropped to 9%, and other system improvements are underway: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/23/u...
🚨✍️ NEW YORK JOURNALISM FRIENDS: IRE is holding a regional conference here this Fri/Sat. It’ll be a great event with IRE’s signature high-quality training at a reasonable cost. And there are also still some fellowships to attend for free! More info here: ire.users.membersuite.com/events/bba60...
Here’s a free link to the article, the latest in our yearlong investigation of the American organ transplant system: nytimes.com/2025/12/16/u... (with @cocteau.bsky.social)
In one case, in 2021, a wealthy Japanese woman traveled to the University of Chicago Medical Center and within days, received a heart transplant. Shortly after, a charity run by her husband donated money to a nonprofit led by the transplant surgeon’s wife.
Overall, we found that patients who travel to the US and get on the organ waiting list typically receive a transplant faster than American patients on the list. And they're less likely to die waiting. Hospital workers shared examples of preferential treatment like this:
We analyzed years of federal data and identified several US hospitals that are increasingly catering to foreign patients, offering short wait times and concierge services. At these hospitals, as much as 20% of the recipients of some organs in recent years have come from abroad.
More than 100,000 people in the US need a new organ. Every year, thousands die waiting for a transplant. But despite the shortage, a new NYT investigation has found that some hospitals are aggressively courting patients from overseas who pay more for their transplants. 🧵
The New York Times has been reporting for the past year about problems with the American organ transplant system. Now, the federal government is addressing some of the issues, including donor safety and fairness in who receives donated organs: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/28/u...
My career changed when I attended an @ire.org conference. It is training that truly makes a difference. Now we’re offering that opportunity for our lowest price ever. For just $50, you can attend IRE’s virtual conference, AccessFest. Register here by Sept 8: www.ire.org/accessfest-2...
The U.S. organ transplant system performs thousands of lifesaving operations each year. But amid a push to increase transplants, a growing number of potential donors have endured premature or bungled attempts to retrieve their organs. Our story today: www.nytimes.com/2025/07/20/u...
In Kentucky, officials have ignored signs of revival in dozens of patients being readied for organ donation, according to a federal investigation. The latest in our project about the organ transplant system: www.nytimes.com/2025/06/06/u...
The American organ transplant system was built to be fair. But increasingly, officials are ignoring the rules and skipping over the patients most in need. Our investigation, with @cocteau.bsky.social and Jeremy White: www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
When was the last time that we had a Democrat NYC mayor or NYS governor who was actually popular?
