Center Best Practices
Best Practices for Living Donor Referrals
The following best practices were developed by the most successful living donor transplant programs.
- Transplant center leadership must be committed to providing an excellent donor experience.
- Referred and recently evaluated living donors and paired donor candidates must be reviewed weekly by physician leaders.
- A one-day standard living donor evaluation (e.g., CT scan, chest X-ray, etc.) must be implemented.
- The living donor candidates must be contacted within two business days of the transplant center receiving the donor referral.
- Cancer screenings (e.g., colonoscopy, breast cancer, etc.) must not be required prior to starting the donor evaluation process.
- Living donor candidates interested in the Voucher Program must be allowed to begin the donor evaluation process before the intended recipient is cleared for transplant.
- All living donors and their intended recipients must be educated early in the process about all available donor support and protection.
- Living donor candidates must be able to utilize remote donation when they are not in close proximity to the recipient’s transplant center.
- Living donor candidates must be provided access to a living donor mentor.
- Transplant center staff must meet quarterly to review donor feedback provided by the living door mentor program.