UC Davis Medical Center leaders announced today plans to close the UC Davis Liver Transplant Program.

"Despite years of excellent patient outcomes, we have not been able to sustain adequate growth to achieve financial viability," said Allan Siefkin, chief medical officer at UC Davis Medical Center. "With three other liver transplant programs operating in Northern California, directing patients to these centers is a more efficient use of limited resources. This decision must also be viewed in the context of the general economic downturn, which has begun to affect the financial situation of UC Davis Medical Center."

The UC Davis Liver Transplant Program is a designated center of excellence with many payers and is a program in good standing with the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), the federal contractor for the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network that sets, monitors and ensures compliance among members of the organ donation and transplantation system. UC Davis' program has consistently met or exceeded all quality standards set by UNOS, and recently received outstanding scores after a routine site visit.

UC Davis is developing a transition plan to prioritize patients to facilitate a smooth and efficient transfer of care from UC Davis to other active transplant centers in the region. The closure affects the 37 patients who are currently on the UC Davis liver transplant wait list and the 45 patients who have had screening appointments with testing under way to determine their eligibility for a liver transplant. It does not affect the 255 patients who already have had a liver transplant and receive their follow-up care at UC Davis.

"We are contacting each and every patient directly to answer any questions or concerns they have about their transition to another program," said Siefkin. "Our team will work with the patients' transplant centers of choice to facilitate their transition to a new wait list."

The transplant team began notifying patients on Dec. 11 about plans for transitioning patients and to close the program. The UC Davis program will not close until all patients are transitioned to another transplant center.

During the transition, UC Davis surgeons will continue to perform liver transplants for patients on the wait list when a donated organ becomes available. At the same time, program staff will begin transferring patients who need a transplant to another program.

"Our team is committed to continuing to provide the best quality of care to our post-transplant patients," said Siefkin.

This decision in no way affects the operation of the successful kidney and pancreas transplant programs at UC Davis Medical Center. The UC Davis Transplant Center will continue to evaluate and transplant kidney and pancreas transplant patients and provide outreach services in surrounding regions.