What You Should Know About the National Kidney Transplant Waiting List

For many of the millions of people living with kidney failure, a kidney transplant is considered the most ideal and desirable treatment option. However, transplantation is a process that can take months or even years due to the number of people in need of a new kidney.
If you don’t have a living kidney donor or if your donor arrangements aren’t finalized, registering on the national kidney transplant waiting list for a donor kidney is an important step. Once you’ve registered–with help from your social worker and a referral–you’ll be on the list to receive a kidney from a donor when a match becomes available.
The National Kidney Transplant Waiting List: 6 Common Questions
1. When am I eligible to be on the waitlist?
2. How do I get evaluated and placed on the waitlist?
The next step is to find an area transplant hospital. The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) has a list of 200+ such hospitals in the United States. You should look for a facility that will work with/for your insurance, travel, financial, and support needs.
The final step is an evaluation by the hospital's transplant team. This typically starts with a phone conversation, during which you’ll set up an in-person appointment with members of the transplant care team. You will also undergo a full health exam. If your exam shows you’re a transplant candidate—meaning you are physically and mentally prepared for the transplant process—you’ll be added to the national waitlist. The sooner you can get on the list, the sooner you may find a matching donor.
3. How long will I be on the waitlist?
Once you register to be on the kidney transplant waitlist, there may be a fairly long wait. There are approximately 100,000 people on the waitlist1 and the average wait time for a kidney from a deceased donor is three to five years.2
4. Can I do anything to get a kidney sooner?
5. How will I know my transplant list status?
6. How do I stay healthy while on the waitlist?
- Attend medical appointments and evaluations.
- Keep up with dialysis therapy, medications, and vaccinations.
- Eat healthy, exercise, and cut out bad habits like smoking.
- Seek out the emotional and mental support you need.
Receiving a transplant can be a life-changing experience for a person with kidney disease¬—a means of restoring one of the body’s most important natural processes and getting part of your life back. If you or a loved one is considering transplantation to treat kidney failure, getting on the waitlist as soon as possible is a critical first step.
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1: Kidney Disease: The Basics, kidney.org, April 2021, https://www.kidney.org/news/newsroom/factsheets/KidneyDiseaseBasics#:~:text=While about 100,000 Americans are,waiting for a kidney transplant
2: The Kidney Transplant Waitlist – What You Need to Know, kidney.org, February 2017, https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/transplant-waitlist