1. What is the North Central Donor Exchange Cooperative (NCDEC)?
2. How long will I need to wait once I join the program?
3. How do you determine the matches?
4. Will I have to travel?
5. Can “non-directed ” or “anonymous” kidney donors participate?
6. How are costs covered?
7. Do I need to meet the person who received the kidney?
8. How do I begin the process?
9. What information is collected about me and my donor and how is this information protected?

What is the North Central Donor Exchange Cooperative (NCDEC)?

What happens if a person with kidney failure has a friend or a family member who wishes to donate, and this person is an excellent candidate from all standpoints, but the donor does not have a suitable blood type or tissue match to donate their kidney? In the past, the only option was for these patients to remain on the long waiting list for a deceased donor kidney. We have many people in this position and this program enables us to create matched exchanges to allow for successful transplantation. For example, if you are in need of a kidney transplant and you have a willing living donor who is unable to give you their kidney because of a blood or tissue type that does not match yours, you would be paired with another set of people in a similar situation such that your donor gives their kidney to the other recipient and the other recipient’s donor gives their kidney to you.

The North Central Donor Exchange Cooperative is a collaboration between various transplant centers from Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Wisconsin. By including numerous transplant centers from this region, we are able to have a much larger number of patients from which to find a suitable match for a recipient-donor pair.

How long will I need to wait once I join the program?

How long it takes to find a suitable match for you depends on many factors including how many people are currently participating in the program, your blood type, and other factors related to your tissue type and immune system. We cannot guarantee a timeframe for finding you a match. We currently assess the pool of participants for suitable matches 4 times per year to allow enough patients to accumulate in the pool to make the match most efficient. Therefore, you will be notified 4 times per year as to whether or not a suitable match was found for you and your donor. The date of the next match run appears on the main page of this website. You will also be left on the waiting list for a donor from a deceased person while you await a match. If a deceased donor becomes available for you, you and your physician will decide whether or not to go ahead with the transplant from the deceased donor.

How do you determine the matches?

The “Match Run” is a complicated computer algorithm that searches the pool of participants for suitable matches. The computer is able to identify suitable matches for each donor-recipient pair and then pick a solution that provides for the greatest number of transplants possible for the current pool of participants within certain constraints.

Will I have to travel?

Currently the donors travel to the hospital of the recipient they were matched to. Therefore, if you live in Fargo and your donor is matched with a recipient in Minneapolis, your donor would travel to Minneapolis to donate to their recipient, and the other donor would travel to Fargo to donate to you. This is done so that the donor and recipient can be located in the same hospital for the transplant surgery. Free air travel can be arranged for the donor and a loved one through the NCDEC program. Please inquire at your transplant center for further information regarding travel needs.

Can “non-directed ” or “anonymous” kidney donors participate?

Yes. We welcome people who wish to be a living kidney donor to any person on the kidney transplant waiting list, simply out of charitable reasons (non-directed or anonymous living donation). The majority of our donations are performed using laparoscopic donor nephrectomy to reduce the amount of pain and to allow you to go back to work and your life as soon as possible. Simply contact the participating transplant center of your choice to begin the process. Contact information can be found in the “Contacts” area of this website.

How are costs covered?

Expenses from the entire evaluation and the operation for kidney donation are paid by the insurance of the person receiving the kidney. Expenses that are non-medical, e.g., lost income during the recovery period after the operation and travel expenses, are not reimbursed. Free air travel can be arranged for the donor and a loved one through the NCDEC program. Please inquire at your transplant center for further information regarding travel needs.

Do I need to meet the person who received the kidney?

No. We maintain your privacy and confidentiality throughout the process.  If you wish to meet the person you have donated to or the person who has received your kidney, a meeting can be arranged through the transplant program. Both parties involved would have to agree to if, when, and where the meeting takes place.

How do I begin the process?

We provide a confidential and thorough evaluation for any potential donor.  We start by giving you information over the telephone and by obtaining a blood type to determine if you are a suitable candidate. You can find out more information about paired donor live kidney exchange by calling the Living Donor Transplant Coordinator at the participating transplant center of your choice. You can find contact information in the Contacts area of this website. Your request for information or evaluation will remain confidential.

What information is collected about me and my donor and how is this information protected?

Your transplant coordinator will collect all necessary information, both personal and medical in nature, in order to protect your safety and find you a suitable transplant. This is no different than the information you would share with your personal physician for routine medical care. The information that goes into the database for the NCDEC program is simply the information necessary to find you a suitable match. Therefore, we will collect things like name, social security number, blood type, and tissue type and immune system information. Information is entered through a secure website and the data are stored on a secure, password protected computer in Minneapolis, MN. Only the transplant coordinators from each participating hospital as well as the program administrators will be able to access the data from the program. Please inquire with your transplant coordinator if you have questions or concerns about how your personal data are stored and used.