Vanguard

Issue date: 10/8/07 Section: News

The University of South Alabama Regional Transplant Center will now be performing its kidney surgical operations at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
"The patients will go to UAB one day prior to surgery and stay for four or five days during the process," Ronald Franks said, USA vice president of Health Sciences.
Although pre- and post- kidney transplant care will still be provided at the USA center in Mobile, the transplants will no longer be performed after the end of the year.
Patients who have already had kidney transplants in Mobile will still be treated and receive subsequent care at the USA center.
"We will do everything but surgery," Franks added. "We will continue to work on the patient while they are waiting for a transplant." The change resulted from a decrease in the number of patients at the Mobile center. As a result, the center was not able to maintain its financial status. The kidney transplant center was estimated to lose $700,000 this year.
"The change has been an issue that has been building over the last two years, as our volume of transplants has been decreasing," Franks said.
UAB's kidney transplant center has been performing several kidney transplants a year and is ranked in the top three in patient volume, nationally. The 11-year-old USA program has been transplanting kidneys to far less patients.
Stan Hammack, vice president of Health Systems at USA, explained that the decreasing number of patients was the main reason for the decision. "The major factor in this decision is that our volume of patients is not viable for such a small program here. We have been doing only 11 kidney transplants a year, while UAB is doing over 300 transplants."
"We have a very competent staff," added Hammack. "With a low number of patients, we are faced with the inability to keep the staff together. We have also had pressure from the payer to have higher numbers."
The change will shift many of the program's 200 patients who are currently on the waiting list to UAB's waiting list. "We will meet with them individually and offer them an opportunity to go to UAB, Tulane or some other area centers," Hammack said. "We will work with these specific programs so the patients will have several options."
Several patients are angry with the decision. They are worried about the financial issues and assistance needed to commute to Birmingham. Plans are being developed to minimize these issues.
"We will be helping to provide assistance for patients while traveling and making sure they have someone to travel with," explained Hammack.
The change should ultimately prove to be more successful. According to hospital officials, UAB's larger program would allow for a more efficient way to perform the operations. Because UAB has access to so many organs, patients on USA's waiting list will likely be moved up the list at UAB.
"We will coordinate how we handle the patients and their medications," Hammack said, "to make the process as seamless as possible."
"Everyone on the waiting list will have individual consultations to make sure they all have a plan," Franks said. "Each case will be worked with individually to ensure the cure of each patient."

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