It's easy to check the organ donor box on your driver's license without thinking too much about how organs are treated and routed to people who need them. NYT investigative reporter Brian Rosenthal thoroughly examined the system. His complicated findings have led to congressional inquiry and meaningful progress. This is a conversation about where the system fell short, what his reporting changed, and what still needs work.
Topics discussed:
How the organ transplant system actually works (it's not really a list)
Why doctors can refuse organs offered to their patients — and patients are never told
What federal pressure on organ procurement organizations produced in Kentucky
How the priority list was being bypassed 20% of the time — and why time pressure wasn't actually the reason
Wealthy foreign nationals getting faster organ access at certain U.S. hospitals
What's changed since Brian's reporting and what reforms are now in place
The future of organ donation: animal organs, AI matching, printed organs

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