Why Choose the NKR for Your Kidney Transplant?

Microsites: The NKR offers kidney patients a free personalized website to share their story, attract potential donors, and give them an easy way to start the testing process.

Coaches: Microsite patients have access to free coaching from mentors who have been through the donor search and transplant process and can offer valuable advice, suggestions, and support.

Donor Shield: The NKR offers comprehensive support and financial assistance for donors, removing barriers to donation and increasing the chances they will move forward with the donation.

NKR Member Centers: Choose from over 100 NKR Member Centers across 35 states and the District of Columbia.

Strict standards: All NKR Member Centers agree to a stringent set of standards to ensure patient and donor safety and deliver the highest-quality care.

Remote donation: Donors can be tested and have donation surgery at any NKR center—they don’t have to travel to yours.

Latest matching technology: The NKR uses the most advanced technology to find the best matches between donors and patients.

Large pool of living donors: The NKR has the largest pool of potential living donors in the U.S., giving you a better chance of finding a match.

Voucher Program: The Standard Voucher Program lets someone donate on your behalf even if they are not a direct match.

Faster matching process: Most people on the deceased donor waitlist wait at least three and up to 10 years for a deceased donor kidney. The typical wait time for a kidney patient to find a matched kidney from a living donor through the NKR is 120 days.

Lower graft failure: NKR-facilitated kidney transplants have a 14% lower chance of graft failure than non-NKR kidney transplants at one and three years post-transplant.

Lower patient mortality: Kidney transplants facilitated by the NKR have a 31% lower patient mortality rate at one year post-transplant and a 21% lower rate at three years compared to non-NKR transplants.

Longer-lasting transplants: Living donor kidneys typically last twice as long as deceased donor kidneys—between 20 and 40 years compared to 8-15 years for a deceased donor kidney.

Potential reduction in immunosuppressive medications: Patients who receive an excellent kidney match may be able to reduce the dosage of immunosuppressive medications taken after the transplant.