Increase seen in transplant referrals, evaluations for Black patients since 2019
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ORLANDO — Underrepresented groups have more access to referrals and evaluations for kidney transplantation since passage of Advancing American Kidney Health; however, waitlist time remains unchanged, according to data here.
“We believe there has been no change in transplant waitlist, just because the timeline we have done the analysis [for] might be too narrow. It has only been 30 months. But if we follow the data over time, we might see an impact in the waitlist and the number of transplanted patients,” Luis Ng Sueng, MD, of Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, said.
In the retrospective study, researchers reviewed the charts of patients who were referred for kidney transplant evaluation. They collected data within 30 months before and after the passage of the Advancing American Kidney Health executive order was signed in July 2019 and excluded patients who were referred in the first 3 months after its passage.
Overall, 4,949 patients were studied. Men made up 60.4% of the study group. Overall, 50.8% patients were Black,37.4% patients were white and 11.7% patients were classified as other race.
Researchers found Black patients showed a greater increase in referrals and evaluations when compared with white patients and patients classified in the other race category. Before the executive order, the frequency of referrals and evaluations for Black patients was 50.1% and 49.4%, respectively. After the executive order, the frequency of referrals and evaluations was 55.6% and 55.1% for Black patients.
For transplant, the frequency was 36.2% for Black patients, 46.8% for white patients and 17% for patients of other or unknown race before the executive order. After passage of Advancing American Kidney Health, the frequency of transplant was 25% for Black patients, 55% for white patients and 20% for patients of other or unknown race.
Sueng said the effect of the executive order on the wait time for kidney transplantation is too early to assess.
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Sueng LN, et al. TH-PO737. Presented at: ASN Kidney Week; Nov. 3-6, 2022; Orlando (hybrid meeting).
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