Massachusetts General Hospital | Transplant Center

To begin the kidney transplant process, you must first be referred to the Mass General Kidney Transplant Clinic by your primary care physician or nephrologist. A kidney transplant nurse coordinator along with a transplant nephrologist will review your referral and medical records once they have been received. Transplant Center staff will then schedule an initial evaluation appointment. If you are also a candidate for pancreas transplantation, you will be evaluated for both transplants at the same time.

Depending on the number of tests required for each patient, the length of the evaluation process can vary, but our goal is to complete all testing within four months.

A transplant nurse speaks with a patient

Part One: Initial Evaluation

You will begin the kidney transplant evaluation at the scheduled Multidisciplinary Kidney Transplant Evaluation Clinic held on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. During the day you will:

• Attend a kidney transplant education session 
• Have blood testing done
• Meet with all the members of the transplant team, including your individual nurse coordinator, nephrologist, surgeon, social worker, dietitian and financial coordinator

Part Two: Specialized Testing

After the initial clinic visit you will return for additional testing and appointments as needed. The kidney transplant team will assist you in scheduling these tests and appointments, which may include:

• Cardiac stress testing
• Chest X-ray and electrocardiogram (EKG) at a Mass General facility
• Additional blood and urine tests
• CT scan
• MRI/MRA
• Meeting with a pharmacist
• Meeting with a psychiatrist

You will be responsible for scheduling the following tests with your primary care physician and/or providing recent results in order to complete the transplant evaluation:

• Colonoscopy (age 50+)
• Dental exam (within the past year)
• For women:
  • Pap smear
  • Mammogram (age 40+)

Part Three: Review by Committee

Once testing is complete, the entire transplant team will meet to determine your candidacy to be listed for a kidney transplant. You and your referring physician and dialysis center, if applicable, will be informed of the committee’s decision.

For more information about the evaluation process, call 877-644-2860. Request an appointment online