AGH Kidney Transplant Program Receives Top Honors from National Kidney Registry

Thursday, February 16, 2023

Press Releases

Allegheny Health Network's (AHN) Allegheny General Hospital (AGH) has achieved the highest referral conversion rate among kidney transplant programs in the U.S., according to the National Kidney Registry (NKR), the largest paired exchange program in the world.

A referral conversion rate is the percentage of interested individuals referred to a center who go on to donate. In 2022, the average NKR donor conversion rate among NKR's Donor Care Network Centers of Excellence was 11.4 percent. AGH achieved a remarkable 40 percent conversion rate last year, more than tripling the average conversion rate of the Donor Care Network centers.

The Donor Care Network Centers of Excellence (COE) are an elite group of the highest-performing transplant centers across the U.S. which provide the best care and support for living donors. AGH is one of only 24 transplant centers nationwide and the only hospital in Western Pennsylvania with the COE designation.

AGH has performed kidney transplantation since 1987. A multidisciplinary team of caregivers, including physicians, nurses, transplant coordinators, dietitians, social workers, pharmacists, and others collaborate to ensure high-quality, comprehensive care at every stage of a kidney transplant patient's journey.

"Receiving this top honor from the National Kidney Registry is a true testament to our team's commitment to providing the highest level of care, support and resources to our living kidney donors," said Kalathil Sureshkumar, MD, medical director of the AHN Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Program. "We look forward to our continued partnership with the registry as we work to pair future donors and recipients and help even more people benefit from the gift of organ donation and life-changing kidney transplant surgery."

In the U.S., more than 92,000 people are awaiting kidney transplant, according to the American Kidney Fund.

NKR's founder and CEO, Garet Hil, explains the importance of AGH's top referral conversion statistic. "It was my kidney donation experience that inspired me to start the Donor Care Network and advance living kidney donation across the country," said Hil. "AGH's referral conversion rate is an astonishing accomplishment which equates to amazing service to donor candidates which ultimately saves lives."

In the past year, AGH has performed 29 living donor transplants and uses advanced robotic technology during kidney donor surgery, making the procedure safer and the recovery process better for donors.

To learn more about kidney donation and transplant at AHN, visit www.ahn.org/services/surgery/transplant/kidney-pancreas.