Faculty Bibliography

Living donor kidney exchange, also referred to as kidney paired donation (KPD), is a relatively new transplant modality that is growing by leaps and bounds in the U.S. From its first realization as an exchange of kidneys between two incompatible donor/recipient pairs, KPD has expanded to include compatible pairs, nondirected donors, three-way and larger exchanges, and living/deceased donor exchanges. Innovations both clinical (transporting organs instead of donors, and improved HLA screening) and mathematical (simulation to test policies, optimization to find better and more matches) have made this modality even more useful and accessible. There are several independent multi-center paired donation registries and many more single-center registries operating in the U.S., but incompatible pairs are most likely to match when they participate in the largest possible paired exchange pool; a single, unified KPD program in the United States would likely best serve patients in search of matches.

Aging of the U.S. population raises numerous public policy issues about which gerontological researchers, policy experts, and practitioners have much to contribute. However, the means by which aging-related public policy is influenced are not always apparent. Drawing on experience working in the U.S. Senate and other settings as Health and Aging Policy Fellows, the authors outline the formal and informal processes by which public policy is shaped in the U.S. Congress. Many who seek to influence public policy do so by telling legislators what they want. A less obvious path to policy influence is for gerontologists to offer their expertise to legislators and their staff. The authors provide specific recommendations for how gerontologists can establish productive and ongoing relationships with key legislative players. The authors also emphasize the importance of collaboration with advocacy groups and with local and state stakeholders to advance aging-related public policy to improve the lives of older Americans.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES/OBJECTIVE:Variation in kidney transplant access across the United States may motivate relocation of patients with ability to travel to better-supplied areas. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS/METHODS:We examined national transplant registry and U.S. Census data for kidney transplant candidates listed in 1999 to 2009 with a reported residential zip code (n = 203,267). Cox's regression was used to assess associations of socioeconomic status (SES), distance from residence to transplant center, and relocation to a different donation service area (DSA) with transplant access and outcomes. RESULTS:Patients in the highest SES quartile had increased access to transplant compared with those with lowest SES, driven strongly by 76% higher likelihood of living donor transplantation (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.76, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.70 to 1.83). Waitlist death was reduced in high compared with low SES candidates (aHR 0.86, 95% CI 0.84 to 0.89). High SES patients also experienced lower mortality after living and deceased donor transplant. Patients living farther from the transplant center had reduced access to deceased donor transplant and increased risk of post-transplant death. Inter-DSA travel was associated with a dramatic increase in deceased donor transplant access (HR 1.94, 95% CI 1.88 to 2.00) and was predicted by high SES, white race, and longer deceased-donor allograft waiting time in initial DSA. CONCLUSIONS:Ongoing disparities exist in kidney transplantation access and outcomes on the basis of geography and SES despite near-universal insurance coverage under Medicare. Inter-DSA travel improves access and is more common among high SES candidates.