Black kidney transplant candidates who were disadvantaged by previous use of a race-inclusive eGFR calculation will receive waiting time CREDIT, because they should have qualified sooner.
OPTN unanimously approves a process to improve transplant equity by backdating the waiting times of Black kidney transplant candidates who were disadvantaged by previous use of a race-inclusive calculation to estimate their level of kidney function.
Waitlisted candidates known to have been disadvantaged by a race-inclusive GFR calculation will receive all the waiting time credit for which they qualify. This action requires all kidney transplant programs to identify those Black kidney candidates whose current qualifying date was based on the use of a race-inclusive eGFR calculation, and to determine whether a race-neutral eGFR calculation shows they should have qualified sooner to start gaining waiting time for a transplant (even if their waiting time has been based on a different qualifying standard, such as dialysis).
This initiative started on January 5, 2023 and must be completed within one year. Within this time frame, all transplant programs must contact all of their currently registered kidney transplant candidates about this initiative, as well as apply to the OPTN for a waiting time modification for such candidates.
After the programs request modifications for potentially affected candidates, they will again contact each candidate to let them know whether they qualify for a waiting time adjustment.
Transplant programs also need to document their completion of these steps with the OPTN within one year.
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