Transplant Institute
The Transplant Institute, part of the Department of Surgery, offers nationally recognized patient care, research programs, and education and training opportunities.
Before Organ Transplant
Get ready for a successful transplant and a healthier future
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Pre-Transplant Care and Preparing for Your Surgery
There's a lot that goes into a successful organ transplant. And much of it takes place before your surgery. At our Transplant Institute at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), you have a team of experienced experts ready to help. The team includes doctors, nurses, social workers, nutritionists, financial counselors and others.
We work together to make your transplant as easy as possible for you. From detailed pre-transplant evaluations and medical tests to make sure you get a good match, to helping you get ready for your hospital stay and providing emotional support for you and your loved ones, you can rely on us. We provide thorough, compassionate care when you're preparing for transplant.
Transplant Candidate Requirements & Qualifications
An evaluation to ensure you meet transplant criteria is the first step in the process. It begins with an initial consultation with one or more of our transplant experts and is based on carefully crafted guidelines. Specific eligibility criteria and the assessment you receive depend on your organ transplant.
Once you complete the initial screening, next comes a more thorough assessment with other members of our transplant team. During this assessment, we look at your medical history, psychosocial health, mental health and support system. Our goal is to make sure that a transplant is the right treatment for you and that your procedure will be safe.
Acceptance for Transplant
If you and our transplant team decide that an organ transplant is the best treatment option for you, you're placed on the organ donation waitlist. You also may wish to consider a living organ donation if you're waiting for a kidney or liver.
We help you plan for your care by offering preparation for both living donor and organ recipient transplants. Our services include providing needed medical testing, as well as check-in appointments to monitor your physical and emotional health. Our behavioral health specialists provide support throughout your transplant journey.
You may need periodic lab, imaging and heart tests, as well as cancer screenings. We can recommend healthy lifestyle habits for you as well. We focus on making sure that when you get the call that an organ is available, you'll be ready.
After your transplant, we provide ongoing follow-up care. We make sure you have the medical expertise and support, to enjoy your best health and live your best life.
Answers to Commonly Asked Questions
Am I a good candidate for a transplant?
Being a good candidate for transplant depends on your physical health, emotional well-being and ability to manage medications and care plans. The evaluation you go through with Transplant Institute staff helps determine if you qualify for a transplant.
How do I pay for a transplant?
Our financial counselors and social workers help you map out a financial plan to cover costs associated with transplant care, surgery and medication. Often, the plan involves combining more than one financial resource to help you.
If you have insurance, we can review your insurance policy to confirm it covers your care. Be sure to keep your insurance up to date so all of your information is current and accurate.
If you don't have any type of health coverage, you still have options. There are laws and policies designed to help you. Our Financial Services team is here for you.
How do I get my new organ?
It's possible to get part of a liver or a kidney from a living donor. The donor might be a family member, friend or total stranger. When living donor donation isn't an option or you need a different organ, such as a heart or pancreas, you're listed with the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). UNOS keeps a national list of people waiting for organs from deceased donors.
New England Donor Services is the regional organ procurement group for BIDMC and the rest of New England. This organization coordinates sharing organs through UNOS. Their staff will enter your medical details into a database and notify our transplant team when an organ becomes available for you. They balance the needs of those who've waited a long time with the goal of transplanting well-matched organs.
How long will I be on the transplant waitlist?
Your listing on the organ donation waitlist is no guarantee that you'll receive a transplant. And even if an organ that's a good match for you does become available, there's no way to predict how long it might take. It can be months — often years — before you get the call that an organ is available.
For more details about wait time, and other statistics, visit The Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR). The SRTR publishes center-specific reports with a wide range of useful information about transplant programs operating in the United States. You can learn about the number of transplants we've performed in recent years, waiting time and waitlist outcomes, and the post-transplant experience of our patients. You can learn how BIDMC compares to national averages.
Should I choose a health care proxy?
A health care proxy, or health care agent, is someone you choose to make decisions about your health care if you're unable to do so yourself. It's a type of advance directive.
Selecting a health care proxy is something everyone should consider. If you don't already have one, it's important to designate someone when preparing for transplant. It ensures you receive care that matches your values and wishes.
Be sure you share your wishes about your health care with this person in depth, and that you're sure they will follow your wishes. You also should be sure your health care proxy is comfortable with the responsibility.
Even if you have a living will, you also should have a health care proxy. Only a health care proxy is formally recognized by Massachusetts law. Generally, a living will outlines your preferences about using life-sustaining medical treatments if you have a terminal illness. A health care proxy isn't limited to situations of terminal illness. And it doesn't anticipate all the complex medical choices that you might face or identify someone to speak on your behalf. It enables you to designate someone who can communicate your preferences, and who will make sure caregivers follow your wishes.
