Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency

What Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency does

Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency (LOPA) is a not-for-profit organ and tissue recovery organization federally designated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid as the sole organ procurement organization (OPO) for the state of Louisiana, having operated under this designation since April 1, 1988. The agency recovers and places donated organs and tissues, manages the Louisiana Donor Registry (one of the oldest statewide registries in the U.S., with approximately 2.5 million registered donors), and runs hospital referral coordination, family services, and clinical operations from a state-of-the-art Donor Care Center in Covington, supported by 250+ clinical, operations and administrative employees.

LOPA's core technology stack centers on the Louisiana Donor Registry platform (self-service portal for claiming, editing, and tracking registrations), the in-house pathology lab enabling rapid organ viability assessment, the first-in-nation video visualization system for surgical recoveries (deployed during COVID-19 to allow remote transplant-surgeon observation), and the jointly developed iReferral platform with LCMC Health that embeds LOPA coordinators inside hospital workflows. Production occurs through three channels — direct clinical recovery operations (core revenue generator), the LOPA Foundation 501(c)(3) (tax-deductible donations supporting education), and federal OPO cost-reimbursement from Medicare/Medicaid.

The agency executes a multi-channel go-to-market for donor acquisition: community-led outreach (statewide Community Educators, schools, churches, civic groups, driver's education), channel partnerships (Louisiana OMV, LA Wallet, Walgreens ECHO, Donate Life America), event-driven engagement (Krewe De Life Mardi Gras Ball, Essence Festival, GUMBO volunteer gatherings), and direct-to-consumer media (The Gifted Life Podcast, Connected by Life Podcast, registry.donatelifela.org). Customer-facing personas include donor families, transplant recipients and waitlist patients (nearly 2,000 in Louisiana), healthcare professionals across Louisiana hospitals and transplant centers, and the broader Louisiana public. Distributed fundraising, foundation grants (e.g., The Brown Foundation for high-school curriculum), and legislative advocacy (Aliye's Law, 2023) round out the operating model.

Name

Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency

Legal name

Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency

Website

https://lopa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

LOPA is the federally designated organ procurement organization for Louisiana, recovering and placing donated organs and tissues, managing the 2.5M-donor Louisiana Donor Registry, and coordinating statewide hospital referrals from its Donor Care Center in Covington.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Covington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Federal OPO Designation: LOPA is federally designated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid as the organ procurement organization (OPO) responsible for Louisiana. This designation provides operational framework and regulatory oversight
2. LOPA Foundation Donations: The LOPA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that solicits and receives donations to support LOPA's education efforts and honor donor heroes. Donations are tax-deductible and support the core purpose of Making Life Happen
3. Educational Programs: Free community education programs for schools, driver's education, driver's license offices, and community organizations to raise awareness about organ, tissue and eye donation

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency (LOPA) is the federally designated organ procurement organization (OPO) for the state of Louisiana, responsible for recovering and coordinating the transplantation of donated organs, tissues, and eyes. LOPA manages the Louisiana Donor Registry (approximately 2.5 million registered donors), operates a state-of-the-art Donor Care Center in Covington, and provides family support, community education, and healthcare professional training across the state.

Product overview

Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency (LOPA) is a nonprofit organ procurement organization offering a portfolio of services centered on organ and tissue donation. The core offerings include the Louisiana Donor Registry for managing donation decisions, organ and tissue recovery services through their Donor Care Center, and community education programs. Supporting services include The Gifted Life Podcast and Connected by Life Podcast for awareness, LOPA Foundation for fundraising, and volunteer and speaker request programs for community outreach. The organization also provides health and wellness programs targeting underserved communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Louisiana Donor Registry
• Organ and Tissue Donation Services
• Donor Care Center
• The Gifted Life Podcast
• Connected by Life Podcast
• Community Education Programs
• LOPA Foundation Fundraising
• Health and Wellness Programs
• Family Support and Grief Services
• iReferral Platform

Quantifiable outcome

• 997 organs transplanted, 336 organ donors, 838 tissue donors
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LCMC HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 May 2026Joint platform iReferral with LCMC Health providing more opportunities to save lives and more time bedside for nurses. Shared commitment to patient-centered care with LOPA coordinators working at LCMC Health facilities.
• Louisiana State GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 July 2023Aliye's Law (Act 180) signed by Governor John Bel Edwards effective August 1, 2023. Requires facts about organ, tissue and eye donation to be taught in a high school course required for graduation. Inspired by 20-year-old donor hero Aliye Ringe who became a donor in December 2021.
• Taylor's Gift FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 March 2023Partnership to offer Taylor's Gift Kindred Hearts grief support program designed specifically for donor families. Provides dedicated grief support with personal Caring Guide, support groups offered virtually for individual and family groups. All services provided at no cost to donor families. Founded by Tara and Todd Storch after losing their daughter Taylor in 2010.
• American Society of Transplantation (AST)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Healthcare professional organization providing COVID-19 and transplant information referenced by LOPA for guidance on donation protocols.
• Montefiore Medical CenterminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2022Received first HIV+ heart for transplant in world history from LOPA donor hero Brittany Newton. Heart was placed on a pump for transport from Louisiana to New York. LOPA Chief Clinical Officer Joey Boudreaux joined Montefiore's transplant team for recovery process.
• Organ Donation Consortium (ODC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 July 2022National consortium of five OPOs (Donor Network West, LOPA, Mid-America Transplant Services, OurLegacy, Southwest Transplant Alliance) representing 38 million Americans. Committed to technological innovations, cross-sector stakeholder collaboration, and transparent accountability. Supporting legislation and regulations to address health disparities and save more lives.
• WalgreenscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 July 2019Donate Life and Walgreens partnership to promote ECHO Donate Life and register new donors at 8 different Walgreens locations across Louisiana. Focused on multicultural communities which are disproportionately in need of life-saving organ transplants. 58 percent of U.S. transplant waiting list is comprised of multicultural patients.
• Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles (OMV)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2019Partnership with Louisiana Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Tag Agencies to register Louisianians as organ donors year round when obtaining or renewing driver's licenses. Additional partnership with LA Wallet digital app for convenient registration.
• LA WalletcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2019Partnership with LA Wallet digital driver's license application to provide another convenient and easy way for Louisianians to sign up to be an organ donor.
• Donate Life AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partnership for national Donate Life initiatives including ECHO (Exporting Hope, Creating Opportunities) to focus on importance of donation and transplantation in multicultural communities. Also for Girl Scout Patch Program and other national awareness campaigns.
• Louisiana Eye BankcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2019Partnership with eye banks throughout Louisiana to facilitate cornea and tissue recovery for transplant.
• Hospitals (Louisiana)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2019Partnerships with all hospitals within Louisiana for referral coordination, donation process support, and family services. LOPA was first OPO to utilize video visualization of recoveries during COVID when surgeons couldn't travel.
• Transplant Centers (Louisiana)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2019Coordination with transplant centers in Louisiana for organ placement, transportation, and transplantation. Includes Ochsner Health System Multi-Organ Transplant Institute where LOPA Medical Director Dr. Jonathan Hand serves.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• LiveOnNY: LiveOnNY is the federally designated OPO serving the greater New York City area (13M+ population). It is a direct peer to LOPA — both are 501(c)(3) OPOs performing organ and tissue recovery, and LOPA's new COO and CSO (Chad and Maureen Ezzell) previously held leadership roles at LiveOnNY.
• Donor Network West: Donor Network West is a federally designated OPO serving Northern California and Nevada. It is a direct OPO peer, co-founder with LOPA of the Organ Donation Consortium (ODC), and comparable in mission, federal regulatory framework, and service delivery model.
• Mid-America Transplant Services: Mid-America Transplant is a federally designated OPO serving parts of Missouri, Illinois, and Arkansas. It is a direct OPO peer and fellow ODC consortium member with LOPA, operating under the same federal regulatory framework and clinical mission.
• OurLegacy: OurLegacy is the federally designated OPO serving central Florida. It is a direct OPO peer and fellow ODC consortium member with LOPA, performing organ and tissue recovery under the same federal designation framework.
• Southwest Transplant Alliance: Southwest Transplant Alliance is a federally designated OPO serving much of Texas. It is a direct OPO peer and fellow ODC consortium member with LOPA, with comparable clinical, registry, and community education operations.
• Gift of Life Donor Program: Gift of Life is the largest OPO in the US, serving eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, and Delaware. It is a direct peer with the same federal designation, mission, and service model, though operating at substantially larger scale.
• LifeSource: LifeSource is a federally designated OPO serving Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and portions of Wisconsin. It is a direct OPO peer operating under the same federal framework as LOPA.

Broad incumbents

• LifeNet Health: LifeNet Health is one of the largest tissue recovery and biologics organizations in the US. It is a broad incumbent partner (awarded LOPA its 2024 Partnership in Excellence Award) and provides tissue processing infrastructure that OPOs including LOPA rely on for downstream distribution.

Others

• Donate Life America: Donate Life America is the national 501(c)(3) alliance for organ, eye, and tissue donation. It is a strategic partner and ecosystem umbrella organization under which LOPA operates state-level initiatives including ECHO and the Girl Scout Patch Program.
• Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO): AOPO is the national trade association representing all 57 federally designated OPOs in the US. It is an ecosystem/industry body for LOPA and its direct OPO peers, setting standards and advocating on regulatory matters.

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@thegiftedlifeLOPA
• Facebookfacebook.com/LOPAmakinglifehappen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/louisiana-organ-procurement-agency

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency