University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Insights
University Of Pittsburgh Highlights
-
Large living donor program
-
Award Award winning hospital
-
3-4 years wait for kidney transplant
U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks University Of Pittsburgh Medical Center among the nation’s best hospitals in many specialties. It is also ranked #1 in Pittsburgh.
Kidney Transplant Wait Time
-
Blood Type O: 49 months
-
Blood Type B: 55 months
-
Blood Type A: 44 months
What people say about UPMC: say
I have been transplanted at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center on Aug 4 2013. I felt incredible right after my kidney transplant — it was the first time in years the fog in my head was finally gone. My recovery went smoothly from the start. The kidney transplant surgery lasted about four hours, and I was discharged after only three days in the hospital. Because I traveled from out of state, my Mom and I stayed at a hotel close to the transplant center. It was comfortable, and my health insurance covered the lodging, which made the process much easier for us. My pre-transplant coordinator, Victoria, was wonderful. She printed my UNOS waiting time and activation date to reassure me. Pittsburgh turned out to be an excellent place to recover after a kidney transplant. The city has beautiful parks for daily walks, great museums, and a lively college-town atmosphere — all perfect for healing. When my donor kidney became available, we had a five-hour window to get to the hospital. I missed the first call because my phone was off while watching a movie — something anyone would do, except someone on the transplant waitlist! After dropping the kids off at a friend’s house, flying from Washington, D.C. to Pittsburgh, and heading straight to the hospital with our taxi driver, we still made it on time for the transplant. The entire experience was incredible.
I have been transplanted at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center on Aug 4 2013. I felt incredible right after my kidney transplant — the fog I’d lived with for years was finally gone. My surgery took about four hours, and I was discharged in just three days. Since I traveled from out of state, my mom and I stayed at a nearby hotel, and insurance covered our lodging. Pittsburgh was a great place to recover, with peaceful parks and a calm college-town atmosphere. When my donor kidney became available, we had five hours to get to the hospital. After dropping the kids at a friend’s house, flying from Washington, D.C., and going straight from the airport with our taxi driver, we still made it on time. It was an incredible experience.
UPMC At-a-Glance
-
UPMC is unique because it serves as both a nationally recognized health care provider and a major health insurer.
UPMC is unusual among transplant centers because it’s both a top medical provider and a health insurer.
-
Robust living donor program. On average, UPMC has been performing 70 living donor transplants and 130 cadaveric transplants annually. Their living donor transplant program includes paired exchange, if you have a potential living donor who is not compatable to you.
-
High rate of inactively waitlisted patients. As the oldest transplant program in Pennsylvania, this center once managed a waitlist of more than 1,000 patients. Today the list has decreased to roughly 600, yet about 50% remain inactive. Many of these patients have been inactive for several years, a strong indicator that they may no longer qualify for transplant.
UPMC and AGH rivalry
A well-known rivalry exists between the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Allegheny General Hospital.
-
JoAnn shared her experience with us in 2022. She encountered significant resistance when trying to multi-list at both UPMC and AGH, with staff explaining that “the donor organs are within the same community.” However, the data at that time told a different story. UPMC had nearly four times more kidney transplant candidates on its waitlist compared to AGH (767 vs. 199), despite both centers receiving a similar number of deceased-donor kidneys. This difference in waitlist size, rather than organ supply, created a meaningfully different patient experience and potential wait time at the two programs—highlighting why multi-listing can still be valuable within the same region.
JoAnn shared her experience with us in 2022. She was discouraged from multi-listing at both UPMC and AGH because she was told the donor organs come from the same community. But the waitlist numbers showed a real difference: UPMC had about four times more kidney transplant candidates (767 vs. 199), even though both centers received a similar number of deceased-donor kidneys.
-
The HUGE difference to me is the living donor program where UPMC’s is totally internal and AGH’s involves the National Kidney registry, JoAnn explained.
Are you familiar with this center? Share your experience
Post Your Review Today
Post Your Review Today
10-year Historical Data
Over the past decade, the kidney transplant waiting list at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center has declined significantly, from over 700 patients in 2014 to under 500 in 2024. However, this reduction is largely attributed to patients being removed from the list due to medical deterioration during the prolonged wait, as the annual supply of cadaveric kidneys—averaging just 120 per year—has not kept pace with demand.
2024 list removals
In 2024, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center transplanted about 27% of the patients who were removed from the waitlist. Roughly 15% of waitlisted patients received a kidney through a living donor. Nearly 40% of patients who were waiting last year remain on the waitlist today. Overall, more patients were removed from the list for becoming medically ineligible than were transplanted.
In 2024, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center transplanted about 27% of the patients who were removed from the waitlist. Roughly 15% of waitlisted patients received a kidney through a living donor. Nearly 40% of patients who were waiting last year remain on the waitlist today.
Book Your Call
Book Your Call