UC Davis responds to California Department of Health Services inquiry on liver transplants

UC Davis Health System officials Thursday sent a letter to the California Department of Health Services confirming that the UC Davis Liver Transplant Program is in full compliance with the performance standards set for Medi-Cal centers of excellence.

The response was prompted by a DHS form letter, dated August 23, and reportedly sent to the UC Davis Transplant Program. UC Davis learned of the existence of the letter from the news media, and has yet to actually receive a copy in the mail. The form letter stated that the “program has failed to either meet the Medi-Cal criteria for numbers of patients transplanted or has a higher than expected death rate for patients undergoing transplants.”

However, data collected and reported by national oversight agencies shows that UC Davis actually meets or exceeds the standards for Medi-Cal centers of excellence.

“The facts are clear: Our liver transplant program exceeds Medi-Cal standards for patient volume and survival,” said John McVicar, professor of surgery and director of the liver transplant program.

“The state requires liver transplant centers to perform at least 18 transplants a year and maintain a one-year survival rate of at least 80 percent and a three-year survival rate of 70 percent. UC Davis performed 22 liver transplants in 2005, 22 in 2004 and 33 in 2003, with a one-year survival rate of 85 percent and a three-year survival rate of 83 percent,” said McVicar.

The Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) also reports statistics concerning observed vs. expected survival rates at transplant centers nationwide. For both one-year and three-year patient survival, SRTR reports that for UC Davis, the difference between observed and expected survival rates are "not significantly different." Thus, UC Davis does not have a greater than expected death rate.

“The life and health of each and every one of our transplant patients is our highest priority,” said McVicar. “UC Davis takes very seriously our responsibility for quality assurance in our transplant program.”

UC Davis Health System has had a strong, clearly defined and effective performance improvement program in place for many years to oversee its transplant and related clinical programs.

The UC Davis Liver Transplant program has been a Medi-Cal “center of excellence” since July 1997, and is approved by the United Network for Organ Sharing, the federal contractor for the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network that sets, monitors and enforces compliance among members of the organ donation and transplantation system.