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The best way to compare transplant center statistics and
outcomes is to use objective data and analyses from a
third-party with expertise in data collection and analysis.
The federal government contracts with the Scientific Registry
of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) to produce, in conjunction
with UNOS, an annual report on national transplant statistics,
including center-specific data and analysis. The SRTR
is administered by University Renal Research and Education
Association, a not for profit health research organization
in collaboration with the University of Michigan. Oversight
of the organization is provided by the Health Resources
and Services Administration (HRSA), a division of the
US Department of Health and Human Services. The
SRTR’s annual report presents timely and accurate
transplant program-specific information on the performance
of transplant programs using appropriate risk-adjusted
statistical methods to control for variation in the
patient mix among transplant programs. It also presents
appropriate longitudinal analyses that describe trends
over time and show variations among organizational units,
cohorts, interventions, or other appropriate factors.
The latest annual report was published in July 2005.
The SRTR’s report on University Hospital’s
liver transplant program indicates that 80 liver transplants
were performed by the program in calendar year 2004,
while typical liver programs currently operating in
the United States transplanted between 16 and 80 people
in that same period.
The report notes that overall at University Hospital,
46.6 percent of patients placed on the waiting list
had received a transplant by six months after listing,
compared with 37.2 in the nation. At six months, 9.2
percent had died (compared to 8.2 nationally) and 42.7
were still on the waiting list (49.2 nationally).
According to SRTR, at University Hospital 86.0 percent
of patients were alive one year after transplant, compared
to the 87.0 percent that would be expected based on
the characteristics of these patients. However, detailed
analysis indicates that the difference between these
rates is not statistically significant.
Click
here to view the SRTR’s full report on University
Hospital’s liver transplant program.
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Statistics/Outcomes
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