TY - JOUR
T1 - Direct and Indirect Costs Following Living Kidney Donation
T2 - Findings from the KDOC Study
AU - Rodrigue, J. R.
AU - Schold, J. D.
AU - Morrissey, P.
AU - Whiting, J.
AU - Vella, J.
AU - Kayler, L. K.
AU - Katz, D.
AU - Jones, J.
AU - Kaplan, B.
AU - Fleishman, A.
AU - Pavlakis, M.
AU - Mandelbrot, D. A.
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was supported by award no. R01DK085185 from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Preparation of this manuscript was also supported, in part, by the Julie Henry Research Fund and the Center for Transplant Outcomes and Quality Improvement, The Transplant Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA. The authors gratefully acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the study coordinators and others at the six KDOC transplant centers who assisted in the completion of this project: Aws Aljanabi, Jonathan Berkman, Tracy Brann, Rochelle Byrne, Lauren Finnigan, Krista Garrison, Ariel Hodara, Tun Jie, Scott Johnson, Nicole McGlynn, Maeve Moore, Matthew Paek, Henry Simpson, Carol Stuehm, Denny Tsai, and Carol Weintroub. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases or the National Institutes of Health.
Publisher Copyright:
© Copyright 2016 The American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.
PY - 2016/3/1
Y1 - 2016/3/1
N2 - Some living kidney donors (LKDs) incur costs associated with donation, although these costs are not well characterized in the United States. We collected cost data in the 12 mo following donation from 182 LKDs participating in the multicenter prospective Kidney Donor Outcomes Cohort (KDOC) Study. Most LKDs (n = 167, 92%) had one direct cost or more following donation, including ground transportation (86%), health care (41%), meals (53%), medications (36%), lodging (23%), and air transportation (12%). LKDs missed 33 072 total work hours, 40% of which were unpaid and led to 302 175 in lost wages (mean 1660). Caregivers lost 68 655 in wages (mean 377). Although some donors received financial assistance, 89% had a net financial loss in the 12-mo period, with one-third (33%) reporting a loss exceeding 2500. Financial burden was higher for those with greater travel distance to the transplant center (Spearman's ρ = 0.26, p < 0.001), lower household income (Spearman's ρ = -0.25, p < 0.001), and more unpaid work hours missed (Spearman's ρ = 0.52, p < 0.001). Achieving financial neutrality for LKDs must be an immediate priority for the transplant community, governmental agencies, insurance companies, nonprofit organizations, and society at large.
AB - Some living kidney donors (LKDs) incur costs associated with donation, although these costs are not well characterized in the United States. We collected cost data in the 12 mo following donation from 182 LKDs participating in the multicenter prospective Kidney Donor Outcomes Cohort (KDOC) Study. Most LKDs (n = 167, 92%) had one direct cost or more following donation, including ground transportation (86%), health care (41%), meals (53%), medications (36%), lodging (23%), and air transportation (12%). LKDs missed 33 072 total work hours, 40% of which were unpaid and led to 302 175 in lost wages (mean 1660). Caregivers lost 68 655 in wages (mean 377). Although some donors received financial assistance, 89% had a net financial loss in the 12-mo period, with one-third (33%) reporting a loss exceeding 2500. Financial burden was higher for those with greater travel distance to the transplant center (Spearman's ρ = 0.26, p < 0.001), lower household income (Spearman's ρ = -0.25, p < 0.001), and more unpaid work hours missed (Spearman's ρ = 0.52, p < 0.001). Achieving financial neutrality for LKDs must be an immediate priority for the transplant community, governmental agencies, insurance companies, nonprofit organizations, and society at large.
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U2 - 10.1111/ajt.13591
DO - 10.1111/ajt.13591
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84959495163
VL - 16
SP - 869
EP - 876
JO - American Journal of Transplantation
JF - American Journal of Transplantation
SN - 1600-6135
IS - 3
ER -