To anticipate the needs of our patients, we’ve brought together an extensive transplant team of specialized, experienced staff members from a wide variety of disciplines.
Living donor assistants | Financial coordinators | Living donor coordinators | Outreach coordinators | Patient liaisons | Post-transplant coordinators | Pre-transplant coordinators | Social workers | Transplant referral specialists
Living donor assistants
Living donor assistants play a critical role in supporting the living donation process, and some of their responsibilities include:
- Assisting coordinators and answering potential donor questions about testing or scheduling
- Scheduling potential donor appointments and mailing itineraries
- Sending laboratory kits and blood pressure machines for further testing and evaluation
Financial specialists
Financial specialists help potential transplant patients assess their financial situation and help those in need to identify opportunities and resources. These specialists are responsible for:
- Contacting insurance companies to verify coverage and eligibility for transplant at The Methodist Hospital
- Obtaining authorization from insurance case managers when required
- Reviewing benefit information, including cost of medications and financial resources
- Assisting patients with insurance coverage options during their employers' open enrollment period
- Evaluating Medicare drug coverage provided by insurance companies as well as benefits of supplemental policies
Living donor coordinators and assistants
Our living donor team works with those who wish to donate kidneys to their loved ones. Living donor evaluations play a vital role in ensuring the best outcomes for everyone involved in the transplant journey. These staffers are responsible for:
- Educating potential living donors about living donation and answering any questions
- Coordinating the living donor evaluation process, including screening, one-on-one teaching and discussion of test results
- Scheduling the living donor transplant surgery
- Assisting with follow-up care after donation
Outreach coordinators
Our outreach coordinators spread the word to referring physicians, health care organizations and the community about our work at the Methodist J.C. Walter Jr. Transplant Center. Their responsibilities include:
- Developing trust-based relationships with referring physicians and dialysis center professionals
- Organizing continuing education activities for clinical professionals
- Helping to ensure world-class customer service by encouraging communication when opportunities for improvement arise
- Providing patient and staff education on treatment options available, in addition to current trends and data related to transplantation
Patient liaisons
The mission of our patient liaison program is to make sure all needs and requests of patients are met when they are in the J.C. Walter Jr. Transplant Center. Responsibilities include:
- Greeting guests during the evaluation process and coordinating questions about process with clinical team
- Providing assistance with patient concerns and personalized needs
- Identifying areas of focus and implementing proactive interventions as the patient advocate
Post-transplant coordinators and assistants
Our Post-Transplant Team takes up the journey with patients as soon as they are notified that an organ is available and the preparation for surgery begins. This team is also divided among the various organ-specific programs, and coordinators work closely with their counterparts on the pre-transplant team. Post-transplant coordinators are responsible for:
- Coordinating care for patients in the hospital
- Providing follow-up care for patients after going home from the hospital
- Scheduling and discussing diagnostic and lab results
- Assisting with medications and other needs after the transplant
Pre-transplant coordinators and assistants
Our pre-transplant team guides patients through the process to be placed on the waiting list: education, evaluation, the process to be placed on the list and most importantly, the wait for a lifesaving organ to become available. Our pre transplant team is divided among organ-specific groups, and each team cares for a specific set of patients. Some of their responsibilities include:
- Coordinating pre transplant evaluations
- Discussing diagnostic procedures and laboratory results with patients
- Presenting patients to the transplant selection committee
- Communicating with patients after committee presentation
- Listing patients on the national transplant list after committee approval
- Providing education regarding the transplant process
Social workers
Social workers support and work with patients throughout the transplant journey to ensure they have a strong support network. Their responsibilities include:
- Interviewing candidates and their families as part of a comprehensive psychosocial assessment
- Informing patients about the expectations and requirements of the transplant process
- Providing supportive counseling to patients and their families
- Making patients aware of the community resources available to them
- Planning & patient discharge after transplantation
Transplant referral specialists
A transplant referral specialist may be the first person you speak with when you contact the Methodist J.C. Walter Jr. Transplant Center. This dedicated team is responsible for receiving referrals from patients and physicians and for scheduling new patient evaluations.
For more information, please call 1-888-393-3986.
Referral requests: If you’re a referring physician or a patient who would like to schedule a transplant evaluation, please call our referral center at 713-441-8900.
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