A quiet but powerful shift is happening in organ donation—and it’s unfolding inside one of healthcare’s most widely used patient portals. Since Epic added a donor‑registration button to MyChart in May 2025, more than 130,000 individuals have signed up to become organ, eye, or tissue donors through the platform. The adoption has been rapid: over 20,000 people registered in December alone, and about half of Epic’s U.S. health system customers have already enabled the feature.
This surge represents a major leap forward for a country where more than 100,000 people are currently waiting for a transplant, and where lack of awareness and logistical barriers have historically slowed donor registration. Before MyChart integration, the National Donate Life Registry averaged around 11,000 registrations per month—a number that MyChart has nearly doubled.
A New Pathway That Meets Patients Where They Already Are
The MyChart donor‑registration feature was designed to remove friction from a process that many Americans support in theory but never complete. Although 90% of Americans say they support organ donation, only about half are registered donors, often because they assume registration requires a DMV visit or simply haven’t been asked at the right moment.
By embedding donor registration directly into MyChart—where patients already review test results, schedule appointments, and communicate with providers—Epic and Donate Life America created a seamless, private, and accessible pathway. When a patient 18 or older registers through MyChart, their decision is added to the National Donate Life Registry and follows them even if they relocate or change health systems.
Importantly, donor status is never visible to care teams, only to donation professionals, ensuring privacy and compliance.
Health Systems See Immediate Impact
Several health systems have already reported significant uptake:
- Sanford Health: More than 6,000 patients registered in just seven months.
- Corewell Health: Over 2,300 registrations in the first three months.
- Additional systems—including LCMC Health, Tampa General Hospital, and UK HealthCare—have launched the feature as a first‑in‑state offering, expanding access to millions of patients.
These early results demonstrate how digital engagement can directly support national public health needs.
Why This Matters: A Lifesaving Digital Innovation
Every new registration represents a potential lifesaving match. With 13 people dying each day while waiting for an organ transplant, expanding donor pathways is critical.
David Fleming, President & CEO of Donate Life America, called the milestone “a source of hope” for patients on the national waiting list and emphasized that this technology is already transforming how Americans engage with organ donation.
A Model for the Future of Digital Public Health
The success of MyChart’s donor‑registration feature is more than a technology win—it’s a blueprint for how digital health platforms can drive meaningful public health outcomes. By meeting patients where they already are, simplifying complex processes, and removing long‑standing barriers, health systems can turn everyday digital interactions into opportunities for impact.
As more Epic customers enable the feature, the potential for growth is enormous. If even a fraction of MyChart’s 100+ million users choose to register, the U.S. could dramatically reduce the transplant waiting list and save thousands of lives.
This is what the future of digital health looks like: simple, accessible tools that empower patients and strengthen the health of entire communities.