The US Department of Health and Human Services said Monday that it’s undertaking an initiative to reform the country’s organ donation system, after a federal investigation found that one organization in the Kentucky region began the process to take organs from people who may not have been dead.

A four-year investigation by the Health Resources and Services Administration has uncovered systemic ethical and safety violations in the nation’s organ transplant system.

The nation's organ transplant system will be overhauled following reports of rushed or premature surgeries, health officials said Monday.