Kidney Transplant Referrals
UI Health has a long history of specializing in transplanting medically and surgically complex and obese patients. We are a world leader in using a robotic technique that enables us to provide transplants as an option to patients who were determined not to be a candidate at other centers.
A patient or medical provider can initiate a kidney transplant referral in 1 of 3 ways:
- By emailing Kidneytransplant@uic.edu with your name/patient's name and contact info. A UI Health transplant team member will return your inquiry to complete the registration. This method is preferred.
- A referral form can be faxed to 312.413.3483. Please be sure to include the information listed at the bottom of the referral form, (e.g. 2728 form, photo ID, and insurance cards) with your correspondence.
- A patient or medical provider can call the main number at 312.996.6771.
Cancer screenings appropriate to your age and gender are always needed to complete the workup process for a transplant. These records usually include results from mammograms, colonoscopies, and pap smears. We encourage you to begin to obtain these records when you show interest in a transplant in an effort to expedite the workup process.
Please know that in most cases, your initial appointment will take several hours. You will meet with our team, which includes a social worker, transplant pharmacist, transplant nephrologist, surgeon, transplant nurse coordinator, and a transplant dietician.
Your nurse coordinator will be responsible for coordinating all of your testing, and will be your primary contact during your workup. Following your initial evaluation day, you will receive a list of other appointments that need to be completed to finish your evaluation. After evaluation has been completed, your case will be presented at a multidisciplinary meeting, and a decision to place you on the kidney transplant list will be made.
If you are a candidate to be listed, you will receive a listing letter in the mail.
Please know that if you are on dialysis, your wait time on the list will begin the day you start dialysis.
If you are not on dialysis, your wait time will begin the day you are listed for a kidney. UI Health’s wait time is similar to other centers in the Chicagoland area, which is 5-7 years long.
Once transplanted, we will collaborate with your referring nephrologist to optimize your post-transplant care.
Patients with HMO insurance plans should begin the process of obtaining authorization for transplant evaluation at UI Health with their primary care physician around the time a referral is submitted to UI Health. For most insurances, the UI Health physician on file to reference is Enrico Benedetti.
