Kidney Matching Tips

  1. Compatible pairs (voucher or paired) are very easy to match, so the center can be more selective and only accept a few of the best matching potential donors. Approximately 95% of compatible pair recipients will find a low eplet mismatched donor in the NKR in one to three months.
  2. Voucher holder patients are prioritized over paired recipient patients. Where possible, enroll pairs in the Voucher Program if they desire shorter wait times.
  3. Abundant A2 donors: If you have an “O” recipient with titers acceptable for an A2 donor, you can generally get an immediate match if you set the patient filter to allow for A2 donor matches.
  4. Many donors are declined on anatomy, blocking potential matches. In some cases, these declines can be overcome by offering the other kidney, which may not exhibit complex anatomy. This can be accomplished by selecting the appropriate options in the donor record.
  5. If you have a patient who has not received a match offer and you are wondering if there is an issue with the paired donor that is causing centers to decline the donor, look at the declines tab in the donor profile. This tab provides an accounting of the donor declines and the reasons for each decline.
  6. Adequate surgical capacity will help your patients get matched and transplanted. NDDs and compatible pairs often have tight timeframes for surgery, limiting swap scheduling options. Many patients who are matched in fast track swaps lose out on transplant opportunities due to the lack of surgical capacity at some centers. Centers can get more patients transplanted by:
    1. Coordinating surgeon vacation schedules to ensure coverage on NKR swap days, which are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
    2. Cross-training donor and recipient surgeons so that one surgeon can do both surgeries.
    3. Hiring more surgeons