New Jersey AG investigates group accused of trying to harvest organs from patient showing signs of life
https://www.theblaze.com/news/new-jersey-ag-investigates-group-accused-of-trying-to-harvest-organs-from-patient-showing-signs-of-life
'We're never really giving patients a chance.'
The New Jersey attorney general's office confirmed to Blaze News that it has launched an investigation into the NJ Sharing Network, an organ procurement organization, after nearly a dozen whistleblowers accused the group of numerous offenses, including allegedly covering up an attempted organ recovery from a patient who showed signs of life.
The NJ Sharing Network, a tax-exempt organization, was also accused of fraudulently billing Medicare, skipping hundreds of patients on the wait list, harvesting organs without appropriate consent, operating a fraudulent taxpayer-funded research program, and creating a culture of fear and retaliation.
'The only way patients will be protected is when law enforcement gets involved and prosecutes criminal activity.'
The House Committee on Ways and Means held an Oversight Subcommittee hearing on Tuesday with some whistleblowers who have reported concerning patterns among the nation's OPOs.
"I think a lot of the problem is that we are not providing the family with updates on actual neurological function and just those kinds of problems where we're using medications to chemically sedate and paralyze patients," Nyckoletta Martin, a former OPO employee, told lawmakers on Tuesday. "We're never really giving patients a chance."
Jennifer Erickson, a senior fellow for organ donation policy with the Federation of American Scientists, described the "chilling" accusations against the NJ Sharing Network as "not only extreme abuse of public trust, but also potential violations of law."
"A patient who'd been declared deceased reanimated, and according to information obtained by this committee, the CEO told staff on site they should proceed with recovery," she continued. "Several whistleblowers alleged documentation regarding the case was deleted or otherwise manipulated."
Erickson urged the committee to continue its investigation into the NJ Sharing Network and contended that the organization should be decertified.
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