Significantly Lower Rates of Kidney Transplantation among Candidates Listed with the Veterans Administration: A National and Local Comparison.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The process for evaluating kidney transplant candidates and applicable centers is distinct for patients with Veterans Administration (VA) coverage. We compared transplant rates between candidates on the kidney waiting list with VA coverage and those with other primary insurance.

Methods

Using the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients database, we obtained data for all adult patients in the United States listed for a primary solitary kidney transplant between January 2004 and August 2016. Of 302,457 patients analyzed, 3663 had VA primary insurance coverage.

Results

VA patients had a much greater median distance to their transplant center than those with other insurance had (282 versus 22 miles). In an adjusted Cox model, compared with private pay and

SUBMITTER: Augustine JJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6171284 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature