Evaluation

How To Get an Evaluation at Einstein

Patients can schedule an evaluation appointment by calling our evaluation line at 215-456-7453. One of our financial coordinators will help them schedule an appointment. We treat patients who are HIV positive and provide transplants to those patients when kidneys are available. 

What To Expect From Your Evaluation

When you are first referred to Einstein, you'll have a one-on- one meeting with your doctor, as well as every member of your care team, including a kidney coordinator, nurses, social workers, and others who will be with you at each step of your journey. This team will help evaluate you to determine if you're a good candidate for a kidney transplant.

Patients are carefully evaluated by our team of doctors, surgeons, and anesthesiologists. The team performs a thorough patient evaluation to arrive at recommendations for the best clinical course to yield the best possible outcomes for individual patients. If they meet the criteria for transplant, they are then placed on the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) waitlist.

The evaluation itself is a four-hour process. If you're currently on dialysis, the Einstein team will ask you to come in on a day when you are not receiving dialysis. We recommend that you bring your friends and family with you for support and to take notes and ask questions you may not have thought to ask.

During this interview, you'll be asked a number of questions and asked to give a detailed personal and family health history. You'll also have bloodwork to have your genetic makeup checked and determine a match based on your genetic type.

We do bloodwork early in this process to decrease your risk of rejection. Mismatched blood types are one reason why a donor and recipient can't match. Also, if a donor has certain antibodies, it will cause the transplant to fail.

If the team decides you're a good candidate, you'll be added to the transplant waiting list. If you have a live donor willing to give you one of their kidneys, you'll be able to take the next steps toward surgery.




Pictured above: Exam room where you'll meet with each member of your care team within one visit.