What You Should Know:
– Epic, an electronic health record (EHR) provider, and Donate Life America (DLA), a national non-profit organization dedicated to increasing organ, eye, and tissue donation, today announced a new collaboration to simplify organ donor registration.
– This partnership will allow patients to register their decision to be an organ donor directly through their MyChart accounts.
Addressing the Organ Shortage
The need for organ donors is critical, with more than 100,000 people in the U.S. currently waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant. One organ donor can save up to eight lives and improve the lives of countless others through tissue and eye donation.
Starting in Spring 2025, patients 18 years or older will be able to register as organ, eye, and tissue donors through MyChart, regardless of their medical history or age. This new feature provides a convenient and accessible way for individuals to make a life-saving decision.
How it Works:
- Easy Access: Patients can access the donor registration feature through their MyChart accounts on their desktop or mobile devices.
- Simple Process: The registration process is straightforward and can be completed in a few minutes.
- Privacy Protection: A patient’s decision to register as a donor remains private and is only accessible to donation professionals through the National Donate Life Registry when needed.
Integration Impact
By integrating donor registration into MyChart, Epic and Donate Life America are leveraging this trust to increase awareness and encourage more people to register as organ donors.
- Increased Accessibility: This initiative provides a new and convenient way for individuals to register as organ donors, increasing accessibility and potentially saving lives.
- Honoring Donor Decisions: By registering through MyChart, individuals ensure their decision is documented in the National Donate Life Registry, allowing their wishes to be honored regardless of where they live.
- First-Person Authorization: Donor registration serves as first-person authorization, meaning an individual’s decision to donate will be fully honored upon their death.
- Expanding Donor Registration: This partnership provides 180 million MyChart users with a trusted pathway to register as organ donors, potentially increasing the number of registered donors significantly.
