Before you are medically approved to become a living kidney donor, UPMC's transplant team will conduct a thorough clinical and psychological evaluation. This evaluation ensures you can safely donate one of your kidneys and have no medical conditions or issues that could cause additional risks or complications during your donor nephrectomy surgery.
As soon as you start the kidney donation process at UPMC, we'll assign you a living-donor transplant coordinator to help you understand what to expect before, during, and after the procedure. Your coordinator will guide you through each stage of your kidney donation journey. The transplant team addresses all aspects of getting ready for your kidney donation surgery, including the financial, mental, social, and physical impact of kidney donation.
Your Living-Donor Kidney Donation Team
Throughout the living-donation process, donors interact with a multidisciplinary team of experts, including:
- Financial coordinators — Review your insurance coverage for donation and post-donation medications. They may also be able to recommend additional coverage to help reduce your out-of-pocket expenses after donation.
- Living donor coordinators — Guide living donors through all phases of the donation process. The living donor coordinator is your resource for all questions and concerns about living donation.
- Nephrologists (kidney specialists) — Diagnose, treat, and manage kidney conditions.
- Nurse practitioners — Work closely with doctors, nurses, and staff to extend the care provided by doctors. Nurse practitioners participate in the care of transplant candidates, recipients, and living donors.
- Pharmacists — Pharmacists assist with medication management and medication education before and after donation.
- Research coordinators — Transplant nurses who coordinate and oversee patients who participate in research studies and clinical trials.
- Social workers — Help you review your social, financial, and support systems to make sure that your donation will be a successful experience. They are also available after your procedure to help you get the medicines you need and address other social concerns you may have.
- Surgeons — Perform living-donation kidney surgeries.
This team will determine if you are a candidate for living donation.
Your Kidney Donation Evaluation
After the kidney recipient’s insurance approves you for the pre-kidney donation evaluation, you will work with your transplant coordinator to schedule your appointments.
What happens during a kidney donation evaluation?
During your pre-kidney donation evaluation, you will meet with members of your transplant team and have a series of exams and tests. Your kidney donation evaluation will provide your transplant team with information they need to decide if kidney donation is safe for you and if you are a match for your intended kidney donation recipient.
How long does a kidney donation evaluation take?
Your pre-kidney donation evaluation involves a series of exams and tests, so it will take about a week to complete. If your evaluation is in Pittsburgh, you may want to stay at the Family House. It offers affordable housing to organ donors and recipients, but it is not a medical facility.
Does my care partner need to come to my kidney donation evaluation?
Your living-donor coordinator will let you know if your care partner needs to come with you to each appointment. However, your care partner must also meet with the transplant team and learn about their role before, during, and after your living-donor procedure.
Kidney Donation Evaluation Tests
During your kidney transplant evaluation, you will have tests to check for signs of disease and see how well your heart, lungs, and other bodily systems are working.
Tests may include:
Physical and psychosocial exams for potential kidney donors
- Initial history and physical exam — Ensures you have no identifiable medical problems or history.
- Psychiatry visit — Confirms you can handle the physical and emotional changes associated with kidney donation.
- Social work visit — Reviews plans for post-kidney-donation care upon discharge from the hospital, including:
- Housing arrangements if you're traveling to Pittsburgh.
- Medications.
- Support for personal, emotional, and physical needs.
- Transportation to and from follow-up appointments.
Bloodwork and imaging tests for potential kidney donors
- CT scan — Creates images of your internal organs to determine the size of the kidney to be donated.
- Echocardiogram — Creates images using sound waves to check how well your heart and valves are functioning.
- Exercise stress test — Shows how well your heart works during exercise.
- Extensive blood tests — To determine if you have any:
- Serious medical conditions, such as heart disease, that might make kidney donation unsafe for you or the kidney transplant recipient.
- Transmissible diseases or infections.
- Underlying kidney diseases, such as chronic kidney disease.
Additional tests for potential kidney donors
- Kidney biopsy — Uses a needle to remove a tiny portion of your kidney. Specialists examine the sample of kidney tissue to make sure your kidney is healthy.
- Pulmonary function tests — To determine how well your lungs are working.
What Happens After My Kidney Donation Evaluation?
The kidney donation selection team will review your exam and test results to decide if you can safely donate one of your kidneys to your intended recipient. If you are an eligible donor and a match for your intended recipient, you will be able to schedule your surgery at a time that is convenient for you and your intended kidney recipient.
If you are not a match for your intended recipient, you may be eligible to participate in a paired exchange.
Living-donor kidney paired exchanges
UPMC offers living-donor kidney paired exchanges.
In a paired exchange, a living donor and recipient with incompatible blood types are matched with another incompatible donor and recipient. The donors agree to swap recipients, which allows both recipients to receive compatible kidneys.
Independent living-donor advocate
If cleared to donate an organ, you will be assigned an independent living-donor advocate to act on your behalf. The living-donor advocate helps to ensure you are fully aware of what it means to be a living donor and understand the risks of the donation surgery.
The living-donor advocate will voice your concerns to the multidisciplinary transplant team and will determine whether your decision to donate is fully informed.
Living donor mentors
UPMC offers the opportunity for potential living donors to speak with someone who has already been a living donor. If you’d like to connect with a mentor who can share their personal experience with you, please reach out to your transplant coordinator or living donor liaison.
Why Choose UPMC for Kidney Surgery for Living Donors?
When you choose UPMC for kidney surgery for living donors, you will receive:
- Access to experienced, board-certified specialists — Since 1988, our surgeons have performed more than 2,600 living-donor kidney transplants, making our program one of the most experienced in the nation at living-donor kidney surgery.
- Expert care for complex cases — As one of the nation's most active and experienced transplant programs, we perform a high volume of minimally invasive laparoscopic and robotic living-donor nephrectomy procedures.
- Personalized living-donor care — From thorough evaluation to world-class treatment, we provide a patient-centered approach to care throughout the entire living donation process. Your dedicated living-donation team will guide and support you each step of the way.
By UPMC Editorial Staff. Last reviewed on 2025-12-09.
