Duke Hospital Joins Network to Increase Kidney Transplants

Duke University Hospital is one of 36 transplant hospitals selected to participate in a network that aims to increase kidney transplantation and improve transplant performance monitoring. The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) started the Collaborative Innovation and Improvement Network (COIIN) in April 2016. Duke Hospital joined the COIIN study in July 2017 as part of the second pilot phase of the project.

Over the next 3 years, the COIIN study will focus on increasing the donor pool for kidney transplants by utilizing moderate- to high-risk deceased donor kidneys, or kidneys with a Kidney Donor Profile Index (KDPI) score greater than 50 percent. By widening the organ selection criteria, hospitals in the network can provide more kidney transplants to more patients in need.

Additionally, each hospital in the COIIN study will evaluate new methods of transplant quality monitoring to enhance performance outcomes. Using an interactive, virtual learning site, hospitals can track key performance metrics, including outcomes, processes, relationships, and structures. The study will also assess a new collaborative quality improvement framework designed to promote organ offer and acceptance, waitlist management, and care coordination.

To learn more about the COIIN study, please see the UNOS press release.

Organ Transplants at Duke

Duke has been a pioneer in solid organ transplantation since establishing one of the nation’s first kidney transplant programs in 1965.

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