Liver transplant chances tied to distance from center

By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – People who live the farthest from liver transplant centers may be less likely to get on a waiting list, and ultimately to get a liver, than those who live closer, according to a new U.S. study. “When designing these systems, it’s important to keep this geography issue (as) an important feature,” Dr. David Goldberg told Reuters Health. To see whether distance to centralized care is connected to outcomes for patients, the researchers analyzed data on liver patients within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The VA has five liver transplant centers nationwide, but veterans with additional insurance, such as Medicare, can use other transplant centers.