The Organ Procurement and Transportation Network has voted for transplant hospitals to remove race from their calculations of kidney function, the group said in a June 28 news release.
The vote means that all transplant hospitals need to use a race-neutral calculation when figuring out the glomerular filtration rate of patients. Historically, these calculations have included a modifier for Black patients, which has led to a systemic underestimation of Black patient's kidney function, negatively affecting their place on organ transplant lists.
"This is an important step forward, in keeping with broad efforts to provide equitable healthcare for all," said Matthew Cooper, MD, president of the board of directors of Organ Procurement and Transportation Network. "Communities of color are disproportionately affected by end-stage kidney disease, so we must do all we can within our power to ensure that they receive the utmost access to lifesaving care."