For Patients and Families
When caring for our transplant patients, we offer a multidisciplinary approach. All relevant medical disciplines participate in patients' care, and all services are centrally coordinated. Regular team meetings are held to craft individualized treatment plans. The entire team is present for rounds.
The kidney transplantation teams include transplant surgeons, nephrologists, hepatologists, physician assistants, a pharmacologist, pathologists, a social worker, transplant nurse coordinators, a discharge planning coordinator and a social worker. Other team members include research nurses, staff from the medical center's financial coordination, quality support services and pre-certification departments.
Medical management
Tufts Medical Center has a long history of caring for patients with serious diseases. For kidney transplant patients, we provide both pre- and post-transplant care, including early identification of serious kidney problems and ongoing management of medications-prescribed to maximize native kidney function, ward off infection or prevent organ rejection-that can have substantial side-effects.
This conservative approach during patient evaluation, when the team considers medical alternatives to transplantation, can lead to savings in many areas: patients are spared from unnecessary surgery; millions of dollars are saved in medical costs; and donor organs remain available for the most needy patients.
State-of-the-art facilities
Our centrally located state-of-the-art surgical suites and related care units allow for swift transfer of transplant patients from the ICU while minimizing potential infectious complications. The Transplant Floor features new HEPA- filtered patient rooms as well as a special HEPA-filtered step down unit. These facilities help lower hospital costs, maximize efficiency, and promote the integration of inpatient and outpatient services.
Direct communication
While Tufts Medical Center is an academic teaching hospital, the kidney transplantation service does not employ fellows. Patients and referring physicians speak directly with the surgeons and top medical staff at all times.
Insurance and networks
Almost all insurances for transplantation are acceptable at Tufts Medical Center.
Specific transplant networks in which Tufts Medical Center participates include:
- MassHealth
- Medicare
- United Resource Networks - bone marrow
- Lifetrac - Kidney, bone marrow
- HMO Group - Kidney
- Martin's Point Health Care - Kidney, bone marrow, heart
- NYL Care - Kidney, bone marrow, heart
- First Health - Kidney, bone marrow
- Affordable/Healthcare Compare - Bone marrow (autologous only)
- John Hancock - Kidney
- Travelers - Kidney
- US Healthcare - Kidney, bone marrow, heart
For patients covered by other networks, single-case coverage is often arranged.
