Understanding the Changes to the National Deceased Donor Allocation System

The national deceased donor kidney allocation system has not been changed since 1986. After many years of study and collaboration, a new policy to revise the system goes into effect on December 4, 2014. This new system is intended to increase access to kidney transplantation and improve the overall success rates. Although the majority of candidates will not be significantly affected by the changes, certain populations of patients are projected to have decreased waiting times. Transplant candidates expected to need a kidney the longest are also more likely to receive a kidney predicted to last the longest. Many educational resources have been provided to transplant centers and have also been made available to patients and referring physicians.