A referral to our program can come from a physician, hospital, or gastroenterologist, but the referral process can also be initiated by you. Even if you are not eligible for our transplant program, our health care team will then work closely with you to provide tailored care and treatment options for your condition. Once we receive your referral, a transplant coordinator will contact you directly to discuss your information and review your records. Additional records may be requested if they’re not included in the referral. Common records that our referral coordinators will need include:
- Office notes from your gastroenterologist or primary care physician
- Lab reports, imaging scans, and any procedure reports from testing that has been performed within the last 12 months
Once we have reviewed all of your records, we’ll be in touch to coordinate and schedule a date for your initial consultation. It’s important to know that a transplant evaluation can take several weeks to several months, depending on your individual health issues. The plan for your evaluation will be determined by your hepatologist, surgeon, and transplant coordinator and will be provided and explained to you. The liver transplant team will assist you in scheduling these tests and appointments, which may include some of the following:
- CT scans
- Ultrasounds
- Breathing tests
- Laboratory testing
- Arterial blood gas
- Electrocardiograms (ECGs)
- Stress tests
- Echocardiograms
- Chest X-rays
- Esophagogastroduodenoscopies (EGDs), colonoscopies
- Mammogram/Pap test (female patients only)
- Cancer screenings
Once all necessary evaluations and tests are complete, your information will be reviewed by our medical review board, which will ultimately decide whether you will be placed on the liver transplant waiting list or if a medical management treatment track would be more appropriate for you.
Although you will not be present for the review, your transplant coordinator will let you know if any decisions are made during the review regarding your case. If your evaluation suggests that a transplant is not your best option, or you choose not to have a transplant, the transplant team will contact you to discuss alternative treatments that will best suit you and your condition.