The Transplant Clinic provides pre and post-transplant care to kidney, liver and pancreas transplant patients.

Pre-Transplant Evaluation

A good candidate for a transplant is determined by a full medical evaluation and input from several medical professionals. The organ transplant team performs this evaluation in the Pre-Clinic. This team is composed of the transplant surgeon, hepatologist/nephrologist, pre-coordinator nurse, financial case manager, and social worker.

Evaluation Process

The evaluation process begins with a referral from a potential candidate's primary care physician. The candidate then answers a variety of health and lifestyle questions. This information helps the transplant team decide the eligibility of the transplant candidate.

During an initial visit, a transplant candidate will meet with a financial coordinator and a social worker and receive detailed information about the transplant process. For those who are identified as potential candidates, a complete medical evaluation is performed. The medical evaluation is a series of tests dependent upon the specifics of each case. The surgeon reviews the results of this medical examination to further determine eligibility. If the evaluation indicates the candidate is appropriate for transplantation, staff members work with the patient to finalize financial arrangements.

The candidate will receive written confirmation and be listed with the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), a non-profit scientific and educational organization that administers the only national patient waiting list. Once listed with UNOS, patient evaluations must be performed at regular intervals to determine continual eligibility for transplantation. Should an organ become available, it is offered to a patient on the list based on a defined set of criteria established by UNOS.

Once a transplant is performed, patients transition from the Pre-Clinic to the Post-Clinic. The Post-Clinic team consists of transplant surgeons, hepatologists/nephrologists, nurse practitioners and post coordinator nurses. This team continues to monitor the medical condition of patients for as long as medical care is necessary. Follow up care includes, but is not limited to, regularly scheduled evaluations, on-going immunosuppressive drug therapy, prescription refills and lab reviews. To allow for some flexibility, follow-up care is delivered under general guidelines and protocols, but is specific to each patient.

Hours of Operation
Clinic hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Address
Methodist University Hospital Transplant Institute
1265 Union Ave.
Memphis, TN 38104