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If your doctor recommends that
you need an organ transplant, you will be referred
to a transplant team and you will talk to the
transplant team. Once you have been accepted as a
candidate for an organ transplant, your name will
be placed on an organ waiting list. All persons on
a transplant waiting list are registered
with
UNOS, the United Network
for Organ Sharing. UNOS maintains a computer
network that links all organ donor and transplant
centers. This network is in operation 24 hours a
day, seven days per week.
When an organ becomes available three things can happen. 1. The list of patients in a local area is checked first. 2. If no patients match, then the regional list is checked. 3. After the list is checked the organ is available nationwide. A kidney donation is sent to a perfect match no matter the location. When an organ is offered, the transplant team must consider many things in deciding whether this organ will be good for the patient. Sometimes the team will turn down an organ. If it is refused, the organ will be offered to the next person on the list.
Few people are able to pay all of the costs of a transplant. The cost of a transplant includes talking to Doctors, testing, surgery, follow-up care, more tests, and medication. If a patient has insurance, he/she may have coverage, usually up to 80% of the costs. Not all insurance policies will pay for a transplant. Some insurance companies think that transplants are experimental treatment. Financial counselors and social workers on the transplant team can help with finding money to pay for a transplant.
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