Kaiser Permanente Praises UCSF Liver Transplant Outcomes

UCSF Medical Center's Liver Transplant Program exceeded all standards for adult transplants in an annual review by the Kaiser Permanente National Transplant Network. Outcomes data, including national benchmarks of the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS), were used in the review. Dr. Ronald Potts, quality performance medical director at Kaiser, recognized UCSF for the "statistically high patient and graft survival outcomes."  UCSF outcomes for adults have been consistently higher than national averages. For example, liver transplant patients at UCSF Medical Center have a survival rate of 94 percent after a year, compared to the national rate of 91 percent. In a letter to Dr. John Roberts, chief of the UCSF Transplant Service, Potts said, "Our collaborative efforts continue to provide Kaiser Permanente members with the best possible transplant care and service." UCSF has had a contract with Kaiser to perform liver transplants since 1988. Kaiser patients account for about 60 of UCSF's 150 liver transplants a year.