Refer your patient with liver disease to University Health’s transplant program for compassionate, advanced evaluation and treatment.
Reasons for a Liver Transplant Referral
You may recommend a patient for a liver transplant evaluation if he or she has one or more of the following conditions:
- Acute liver failure from viral hepatitis or drug toxicity
- Alcoholic cirrhosis – Patients with alcoholic cirrhosis are considered for transplant if they can achieve abstinence and rehabilitation
- Cholestatic diseases such as primary biliary cholangitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, secondary biliary cirrhosis and cystic fibrosis
- Chronic hepatitis, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, hepatitis D, autoimmune chronic active hepatitis, cryptogenic cirrhosis, chronic drug toxicity or toxin exposure
- Chronic liver disease limiting your patient’s quality of life and ability to work
- Irreversible liver disease with no effective treatment alternatives
- Metabolic diseases such as hemochromatosis, Wilson's disease, Alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency, glycogen storage disease, tyrosinemia, familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy, other metabolic disorders treatable by liver replacement
- Predictable mortality from liver disease exceeding transplantation prognosis (85% one-year survival, 70% five-year survival)
- Primary liver tumors – Select patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
Eligibility
Consider whether your patient meets our referral criteria for a liver transplant evaluation.
Reasons Not to Refer for a Liver Transplant
We will not consider your patient as a liver transplant candidate if he or she has:
- Active drug or alcohol use
- Patient history indicating other end-stage medical conditions
- Metastatic cancer
Behavioral Assessment Requirement
Count on us to perform a required psychiatric assessment of a patient who does not meet alcohol or drug abstinence requirements in the initial evaluation.
Re-evaluation
If your patient does not meet the referral criteria, he or she may return for re-evaluation at a later date.
Three-Step Referral Process
When your patient meets all the referral criteria, follow our three-step referral process for adult liver transplantation:
- Complete the online Liver Transplant Referral Form OR
Download and print the Liver Transplant Referral Form [PDF, 90 KB] OR
Pediatric Liver Transplant Referral Form [PDF, 124 KB]
Submit the completed referral form and a copy of the patient’s insurance card (front and back) to University Health Transplant Institute using one of the following methods:
- Download and print the Liver Referral Patient Information Cover Sheet & Checklist [PDF, 33 KB].
Complete the cover sheet and include all patient information on the checklist. Submit the information to University Health Transplant Institute by fax or mail.
- Within 24 hours of receiving your patient referral, we will contact your office by phone and/or email to:
- Confirm receipt of your referral
- Confirm receipt of all patient information
- Notify you and your patient of the initial evaluation date
- Answer your questions and provide support
Advanced Liver Treatments
Find advanced medical and surgical liver care and treatments at University Health for conditions that may prevent transplantation. Call 210-567-5777 or 1-888-336-9633 to talk to one of our transplant physicians or coordinators.