Getting more people to become organ donors would save lives, but driving up the number of donors is tough.

Israel, which has an unusually low rate of organ donation, is about to try a new tack. Starting next year, people who volunteer to donate their organs when they die will be higher on the waiting list if they ever need a transplant.

There are lots of details (see below), but the basic idea here is interesting. It adds a thick helping of self interest to the organ-donation picture without raising some of the tough ethical questions that come up when the discussion turns to paying people to be donors — an idea that’s been discussed for years but has never taken off.

The details of the Israeli plan are described in this article from the Lancet. In order to get priority, you have to volunteer to be an organ donor a few years before you need an organ yourself (this prevents people from signing up at the last minute purely out of urgent self interest). If you need a transplant and a close family member donated their organs after they died, you’ll also get bumped up the waiting list. Certain patients who have an urgent need for a transplant will still be given priority over patients who have agreed to be organ donors, but whose medical need is less urgent.

Health Blog Question of the Day: Should we implement a similar system in the U.S.?

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