Organ donation in Hawaii: impact of the final rule.

Background: In an effort to increase organ donation, the Department of Health and Human Services issued the Final Rule in 1998. The Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) later required hospitals to notify organ procurement organizations (OPO) of all deaths and imminent deaths in order to remain eligible for Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement. We set out to determine the impact of the Final Rule on organ donation in Hawaii.