CMS SOM App. X, Tag X-021

A transplant center that seeks Medicare approval to provide transplantation services to

pediatric patients must submit to CMS a request specifically for Medicare approval to

perform pediatric transplants using the procedures described at §488.61 of this chapter.

(a) Except as specified in paragraph (d) of this section, a center requesting Medicare

approval to perform pediatric transplants must meet all the conditions of participation at

§§482.72 through 482.74 and §§482.80 through 482.104 with respect to its pediatric

patients.

Guideline §482.76(a)

Upon application to the Medicare program, a transplant program must specify whether it requests

approval as an adult or pediatric program.

Note: In effort to address differences in health and organ transplantation issues between children

and adults, the OPTN bylaws were updated to require that a designated transplant program have

a pediatric component approved by the OPTN in order to perform kidney, liver, and heart

transplants in patients less than 18 years old. To be OPTN-approved for a pediatric component,

the designated transplant program must identify a qualified primary pediatric transplant surgeon

and a qualified primary pediatric transplant physician who will serve as key personnel. These

OPTN bylaws were updated on December 08, 2020.

If a transplant program performs pediatric transplants under an approved adult transplant

program, no separate approval is required by CMS as long as the number of pediatric transplants

performed is less than the number of adult transplants performed.