OrganJet Patient Advisory Services: find a kidney transplant center near you

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https://organjet.5apps.com/

Patient Advisory Services (PAS)
Based on patient's home location and waiting time, OrganJet can provide some possible transplant center options for multiple listing. Click here to find a kidney transplant center near you with a low wait time.

Information about 'Low Wait Time' centers:

Transplant centers whose median wait times are well below (40% or more) the national median are called 'low wait time' centers. This median is computed based on data across various blood types. Please note that actual times for a patient can be significantly different (lower or higher) from median times.
No distinction is made between centers that have median wait time of 19 months versus those that have 23 months. All centers listed in the 'low wait' column have median times lower than 26 months when the last SRTR report came out.
If a center in the low wait time category (Column 1) is also within 5 closest centers from an input ZIP code, then the column (Column 2) that has 'closest (regular) centers' will have the 6th closest one in that column (and so on). That is, the list on column 1 is mutually exclusive from list in column 2.
We have only selected centers in 'low wait times' that also have sufficiently high volumes and have satisfactory outcomes (using Observed/Expected ratio criteria).
The transplant center locations were obtained from Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients.
If a geographically close transplant center is also a low wait time transplant center, it will only show up in the 'Low Wait Time' column.
VA hospitals are not included in our lists. Information about VA centers can be found here.
The map in this application is supported by Google Maps Javascript API V3, which has strict usage limitations.
'Distance' is computed through a heuristic formula that uses latitude and longitude information. (That is, this is not driving distance found on Google Maps, Yahoo! Maps, or MapQuest.)

OrganJet and GuardianWings do not provide medical advice. All information presented here is for educational/awareness purposes only. Please consult your physician before taking any action. Every effort has been made to furnish accurate and most up to date summarized data based on publicly available information.

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http://www.transplantsnews.com/being-an-organ-recipient/multiple-listing-to-reduce-wait-times-for-transplant-patients

Multiple Listing to Reduce Wait Times for Transplant Patients
BEING AN ORGAN RECIPIENT
Mediaplanet sat down with Dr. Sridhar Tayur, owner of OrganJet, to learn how to list smartly.

Mediaplanet: How can transplant patients benefit from “listing smartly?”

Dr. Sridhar Tayur: There are two main considerations beyond cost: outcomes, that ensure a good and long post-transplant life, and wait times to obtain a transplant. By selecting a transplant center “smartly,” patients can reduce their wait times and improve outcomes.

MP: How does geographical location affect an organ transplant?

ST: The wait times are strongly correlated to geography. In New York, New Jersey, Boston, Atlanta, Chicago and Los Angeles, the wait times for kidney and liver transplants are very high compared to those at centers elsewhere. Patients in the high wait areas can list in a center with low wait in other geographies, depending on their insurance coverage and ability to travel or move.

MP: How can one find a low wait transplant center near their home?

ST: The data is available publicly through Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients' website and is updated periodically.

MP: What can early transplantation mean for patients?

ST: In the case of kidney transplantation, you could get a transplant before you even go on dialysis. If you are already on dialysis, earlier transplantation has two benefits: better outcomes and less time on dialysis. It is also important to know, for kidney patients who have been on dialysis for a while or have been listed in one center for a while, they can transfer this wait time so far to a different center and so take credit for "time served." For a liver patient, getting a transplant at a lower Model for End Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score also means better outcomes and less inconvenience during pre-transplant time. In all cases, the outcomes are better and life before and after transplant is better. Listing in more than one place is allowed and patients should look into the many benefits of multiple listing.

MP: What is the average time a patient who lists “smartly” waits for an organ compared to other patients?

ST: This can vary significantly from region to region. Generally speaking, a patient can reduce the wait time by at least two years, and in some cases, even more for a kidney transplant. For liver transplants, one can get the transplant at a lower MELD score. Research has shown that access to transplantation increases nearly 100 percent by multiple listing smartly.

MP: Once a patient is informed of their match, what is the process he or she will go through next?

ST: They need to get to the transplant center in six hours for liver or under eight hours for kidney. They can drive, like some have from New Jersey to Pittsburgh, or fly commercial, as some have down from New York City to Kansas City or Washington, D.C. to Pittsburgh. Some others have moved to a new location when they hear that they are near the top of the list, like one patient who worked in Connecticut, but got her liver transplant in Indianapolis. A private jet is a good back-up option; many have used it for liver transplantations, flying from San Francisco to Portland, for example, and many of these costs are covered by insurance.