Browsing by Author "Henderson, Macey Leigh"

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    Living kidney donor follow-up in a statewide health information exchange: health services utilization, health outcomes and policy implications
    (2016-05-24) Henderson, Macey Leigh; Stone, Cynthia L.; Dixon, Brian; Harle, Chris; Menachemi, Nir; Holmes, Ann; Fry-Revere, Sigrid
    Living donors have contributed about 6,000 kidneys per year in the past 10 years, but more than 100,000 individuals are still waiting for a kidney transplant. Living kidney donors undergo a major surgical procedure without direct medical benefit to themselves, but comprehensive follow-up information on living donors’ health is unfortunately limited. Expert recommendations suggest capturing clinical information beyond traditional sources to improve surveillance of co-morbid conditions from living kidney donors. Currently the United Network for Organ Sharing is responsible for collecting and reporting follow-up data for all living donors from U.S. transplant centers. Under policy implemented in February of 2013, transplant centers must submit follow-up date for two years after donation, but current processes often yield to incomplete and untimely reporting. This dissertation uses a statewide Health Information Exchange as a new clinical data source to 1) retrospectively identify a cohort of living kidney donors, 2) understand their follow-up care patterns, and 3) observe selected clinical outcomes including hypertension, diabetes and post-donation renal function.