Single Center Kidney Costs and Transplant Outcomes Analysis of Undocumented Aliens
USC, Los Angeles, CA
Meeting: 2020 American Transplant Congress
Abstract number: C-217
Keywords: Kidney transplantation, Public policy
Session Information
Session Name: Poster Session C: Non-Organ Specific: Economics & Ethics
Session Type: Poster Session
Date: Saturday, May 30, 2020
Session Time: 3:15pm-4:00pm
Presentation Time: 3:30pm-4:00pm
Location: Virtual
*Purpose: The purpose of the study was to perform an outcomes and cost comparison analysis between dialysis and kidney transplantation in individuals identified as undocumented aliens in Southern California.
*Methods: Kidney transplant recipients who at the time of listing were unable to provide a Social Security Number and listed in UNet as 9FN’s ( Foreign Nationals) were identified in our center’s database. Following data was collected; Patient survival, graft survival, pts lost to follow up, days from transplant to last follow up, Cr at 1 mo, 3, 6, 12, 24, 30, 36 mo, and last follow up. A cost analysis was performed based on publicly available website: https://health.costhelper.com/kidney-transplant.html .
*Results: 89 individuals were identified in our database that met the inclusion criteria. There was 1 death and 2 graft losses and 9 pts lost to follow up. The mean follow up was 1017 (22-3585) days. The mean cr and ranges were as follows ; 1 mo 1.3 ( 0.43 to 3.69) , 3 mo 1.13 (0.35- 30 , 6 month 1.19 (0.37 – 2.4), 1 year 1.12 ( 0.35 – 2.9), 18 months 1.14 (0.42 – 2.7), 2 year 1.16 (0.4 – 2.1), 30 months 1.19 (0.4 – 2.0) 3 year 1.17 (0.7 – 2.3). The Southern CA average wait time of 5-10 years and an annual dialysis cost of $80,000 for 89 patients estimated a dialysis cost of $36-72M. The average listing price of $250,000 followed by an annual post Tx cost of $17,000 and an 8 year( dialysis free days) follow up estimated the cost of transplanting these people at $34.24M.
*Conclusions: Our study demonstrated excellent outcomes in undocumented aliens. With growing wait times in regions like Southern California, and access to dialysis likely to remain available to undocumented aliens- the healthcare costs are likely to grow. A basic cost analysis comparison based on our cohort and follow up suggests significant cost savings should kidney transplant offered to individuals of an undocumented alien status. More granular data is being collected at our center for detailed cost analysis.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
Qazi YA, Villalon E, Sadiq T, Qazi E, Mir E, Reza A, Smogorzewski M. Single Center Kidney Costs and Transplant Outcomes Analysis of Undocumented Aliens [abstract]. Am J Transplant. 2020; 20 (suppl 3). https://atcmeetingabstracts.com/abstract/single-center-kidney-costs-and-transplant-outcomes-analysis-of-undocumented-aliens/. Accessed May 16, 2025.« Back to 2020 American Transplant Congress