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Whistleblower alleges Dallas kidney transplant programs favored wealthy patients


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Posted

https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/whistleblower-lawsuit-kidney-transplants-parkland-health-ut-southwestern-dallas/?utm_campaign=feed&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=later-linkinbio

Quote

Patrek Chase, kidney transplant program director at Parkland Health in Dallas, claimed that patients at his hospital – which generally serves a poorer population – were passed over for a healthy organ in favor of patients at UT Southwestern Medical Center, which generally helps the affluent. 

Imagine being on a transplant list, clinging to hope for a kidney that could literally save your life — only to find out you were skipped over because you’re poor, while someone with deeper pockets at a more “prestigious” hospital got the organ instead.

How many people at Parkland — people who waited, prayed, and trusted the process — were left to suffer or even die because someone decided the affluent deserved priority?  

 

This isn’t just a lawsuit. It’s a mirror held up to the ugly truth about healthcare inequality in America. Life saving Organs as VIP perks instead of lifesaving necessities is sick.

  • Rage+1 5
Posted

This is probably going to be one of those things where systemic bias comes into play.

All of those involved in the medical and administrative end are relatively upper class, the victims are relatively lower class.  There's probably not going to be anything expressly saying "don't give that kidney to that dirty brown poor when we got a perfectly good white boy here."  

But there's probably going to be a whole lot of decision points couched in medical or sociological terms that favor the more affluent patient/recipient.

  • Hook 'Em 2
Posted
17 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

systemic bias

Shocked Face Wow GIF

You're gonna get this site shut down for using woke phrases like that

  • Haha 1
Posted

Mr Chase needs to pursue this injustice through our legal system, the one arena in this country where the little guy always gets a fair shake.

Posted

So I guess just don't be poor is the lesson here right?

 

20 minutes ago, Im_smarter_then_you said:

Poor some need to work harder, be scrappier, grow their own kidneys 


... or get better at stealing rich peoples kidneys and leaving them in an iced down motel bathtub...

Posted (edited)

There can be much more to this story than rich vs poor. From a quick glance at the end of 2024, Parkland had 56 patients on their transplant waiting list, and UT Southwestern had 224. but even that doesn't mean that UT Southwestern should be prioritized over Parkland. Transplant centers are not all considered equal to each other: volume, ability to handle more difficult cases, response times, etc. are taken into account.

In 2024, Parkland performed 38 transplants and UT SW 205. I believe this can be taken into account because there is an assumption that UT SW has more capabilities than Parkland.

Finally, I gather that the patient wait list is not simply first come-first serve. Time on the list is a factor but if UT SW has higher acuity cases, some of their patients could be prioritized over Parkland's. 

To be clear, from a quick search, Parkland transplant center seems to be highly regarded. I'm not slamming them. (If any of this info is wrong, I hope someone corrects me. I'm only an google/chatgpt expert.)

EDIT: This story reminds me of the odd story out of Houston where the Memorial Hermann transplant doctor intentionally pushed some of his patients further down the transplant list, outside of the guidelines. I don't know if the why was ever fully understood by the public.

Edited by Nice Guy Eddie

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