INCREASING ORGAN TRANSPLANT ACCESS (IOTA) MODEL ANNOUNCED TO INCREASE PATIENT ACCESS TO KIDNEY TRANSPLANTATION

The long-awaited Increasing Organ Transplant Access (IOTA) Model was released yesterday by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) focusing on increasing patients’ access to kidney transplantation across the United States.

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NEPHROLOGY CALLS ON CONGRESS TO INCREASE FUNDING FOR THE US TRANSPLANT SYSTEM

Today, leaders from the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) will meet with their congressional delegations and call for their support of an $8 million increase for the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Organ Transplantation Program in FY 25 This funding, totaling $67 million, will be used to continue Congress’ commitment to people seeking a transplant and will implement reforms to modernize the transplant system and make transplant care more accessible.

Transplant doctor discusses how living kidney donors can help those in need of a transplant.

Eric Martinez, MD, at Baylor Scott & White Health, discusses how living kidney donors can help those in need of a transplant.  What You Need to Know: Risk factors that could lead to kidney transplant include high blood pressure and…

American Society of Nephrology Celebrates Transformational Transplant Funding

Delivering on its commitment to increase Americans’ access to kidney transplant by improving the transparency and efficiency of our nation’s transplant network, Congress this week approved a much-needed $23 million federal funding increase in fiscal year (FY) 2024 for the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the agency responsible for overseeing the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN).

Immunotherapy Combination May Benefit Patients with Transplanted Kidneys and Advanced Skin Cancers

People who have had a kidney transplant are at high risk for developing skin cancers. New research directed by investigators from the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center is exploring the best combination of treatments to target skin cancers while preserving the transplanted organs.

THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NEPHROLOGY CONGRATULATES HOUSE AND SENATE SPONSORS UPON ENACTMENT OF THE SECURING THE U.S. ORGAN PROCUREMENT AND TRANSPLANTATION NETWORK

The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) congratulates the House and Senate sponsors of the Securing the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) Act upon President Biden signing the legislation and thanks the Biden-Harris administration for its commitment to improving American’s access to transplantation.

Study Shows Mitochondrial Transplantation Effective in Reversing Damage to Kidneys and Kidney Cells

According to the National Kidney Foundation, more than 100,000 Americans are waiting for a kidney transplant, and the demand for donated kidneys far exceeds the supply. In fact, only 25,498 kidney transplants were performed in 2022, and kidney disease impacts 37 million people in the U.S. But a new preclinical study, led by scientists at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, shows that a new technology called mitochondrial transplantation holds promise as a potential therapy that could change the kidney transplant landscape.

The Ultimate Mother’s Day Gift: A Daughter Gave Her Own Mother Life Through the Gift of Organ Donation

It’s one thing to buy your mother flowers or a gift certificate to the spa for Mother’s Day – but it’s a whole other thing to give her the gift of life. In a reversal of roles, thanks to the miracle of kidney donation, a New Jersey daughter was able to give her own mother the gift of life, 37 years after her mom gave her life.

American Society of Nephrology Celebrates the Re-Introduction of the Living Donor Protection Act

• The Living Donor Protection Act (LDPA) will remove barriers facing living donors.
• Approximately 90,000 adults and 1,100 children are on the kidney transplant waitlist.
• 12 American die every day while waiting for a kidney transplant.
• More than 37 million Americans are living with kidney diseases, including more than 800,000 with kidney failure.

Three Kidney Transplants, Weight Gain and a Journey Back to Wellness

Rowena Roque, 46, was having a problem that many people can relate to: doing everything in her power to lose weight and get healthy but never succeeding.

Great Actions Leave a Mark campaign celebrates the Gift of Life through Living Organ Donation

UHN’s Ajmera Transplant Centre and The Centre for Living Organ Donation announce today the launch of a new campaign, Great Actions Leave a Mark, www.greatactions.ca. The campaign showcases through artistic photos and video, the stories and scars (the mark) from 39 living organ donors and transplant recipients across Canada.

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NEPHROLOGY STRONGLY SUPPORTS CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT OF TRANSPLANT SYSTEM

The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) supports efforts by Congress to improve the US transplant system. Today, the Senate Finance Committee will conduct an oversight hearing, A System in Need of Repair: Addressing Organizational Failures of the U.S.’s Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN).

Mayo Clinic study confirms living kidney donor surgery is low risk for most patients

The risk of major complications for people who donate a kidney via laparoscopic surgery is minimal. That is the conclusion of a 20-year Mayo Clinic study of more than 3,000 living kidney donors. Only 2.5% of patients in the study experienced major complications, and all recovered completely.

Steep Decline in Organ Transplants Amid COVID-19 Outbreak

France and the United States have experienced a tremendous reduction in the number of organ donations and transplant procedures since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. By early April, transplant centers in both countries were conducting far fewer deceased donor transplants compared to just one month earlier, with the number of procedures dropping by 91 percent in France and 50 percent in the United States.

GW Experts Available to Speak During Kidney Health Month

WASHINGTON (Mar. 4, 2020) – Approximately 37 million American adults have chronic kidney disease and many others are at increased risk, according to the National Kidney Foundation. March is Kidney Health Month and the George Washington University (GW) School of…

University Hospitals Employee Offers to Donate Kidney within Ten Minutes of Meeting Patient in Need

Erika Hosey, a cardiovascular technician at University Hospitals Ahuja Medical Center, ended the year by giving a life-changing gift to a patient in need. While performing a routine cardiac stress test, she drummed up a conversation. She learned that her patient, Denise Butvin, had kidney disease and needed transplant surgery.

“Erika just blurted out…I’ll give you my kidney,” said Butvin. “I was in shock. I couldn’t believe this was real.”

While Butvin is a positive person, she has been through an emotional rollercoaster of ups and downs and on waitlists in Ohio and Pennsylvania for five years. Her family and friends were not an organ match. Both her sister and father were on dialysis for many years and passed away from kidney disease, so she knew how pressing this transplant surgery was.

Hosey started the process the next day, and after a few weeks of testing turned out to be a perfect donor match. “To be a kidney donor match for someone is really a shot in the dark,” she