Our Methodology

Download the compiled SRTR program extract: transplant-program-statistics.csv (same extract as /statistics).

Medical Disclaimer

This site is for informational purposes only and does not provide medical advice. Survival rates are statistical outcomes from historical cohorts, they do not predict individual outcomes. Always consult your transplant physician or care team when making transplant decisions.

Data Source

All data comes from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR), operated by the Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation (MMRF) under contract with the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. SRTR publishes Program-Specific Reports (PSRs) semi-annually.

Our database is built from SRTR's November 2025 semi-annual release (CSRS 2511). It covers 237 transplant centers and 745 center×organ survival records across 7 organ types and includes state-level and national aggregate statistics. Center count and program-record count are different populations.

Data Tables Used

We extract data from the following SRTR Program-Specific Report tables, each providing different dimensions of transplant center performance:

  • Table B1: New listings and active waiting patients per program per organ.
  • Tables C5–C12: 1-year and 3-year graft survival rates, compared to national expected rates.
  • Tables B8–B9: Per-program counts published in the November 2025 release. We read the total by its published header name TPC_ALL_NC (“All | N | center”) rather than by column position, so an inserted upstream column cannot silently shift what we load. We label the figure “transplants reported” rather than a yearly rate: the totals sum to several times the published annual national volume, so the counting window is longer than one year. Verified 2026-08-14: the B8–B9 sheets in all seven organ workbooks carry no date range at all. The only cohort period printed anywhere in the release, 7/1/2022–12/31/2024, belongs to Tables C17–C18, a different (multi-organ) table, and does not govern these counts. SRTR therefore publishes no window for this figure and we do not infer one: read it as a multi-year count, never as an annual rate.
  • National benchmarks: Expected survival rates used for risk-adjusted comparison.

Rankings Methodology

Rankings on PlainTransplant are based on 1-year graft survival rate as reported by SRTR. Rankings use sequential numbering (no ties) with alphabetical tiebreaking when two programs share the same reported rate.

Programs with fewer transplants have wider confidence intervals in their survival statistics - small programs can appear at extremes of rankings due to statistical noise rather than true performance differences. SRTR provides flagging when a program's outcomes are statistically significantly different from the national expected rate; we display this flag where available.

Corpus placement (#N of M)

Center and state detail pages show an analytical #N of M placement inside the SRTR-derived PlainTransplant corpus. These are inventory ranks, not clinical quality scores:

  • Centers - transplant volume: sum of transplants_performed across that center's SRTR-reporting organ programs (highest volume = #1). Tie-break: center slug A-Z.
  • Centers - program count: count of organ programs with a program_stats row joined to the center (most programs = #1). Tie-break: center slug A-Z.
  • States - center headcount: count of distinct centers headquartered in the state (most centers = #1). Tie-break: state abbreviation A-Z.
  • States - transplant volume: sum of reported transplants across organs in state_stats (highest = #1). Tie-break: state abbreviation A-Z.

Corpus placement answers "where does this entity sit in our published inventory?" It does not replace organ-specific survival rankings or SRTR risk-adjustment flags. Always read the per-organ program tables and the primary SRTR Program-Specific Report before clinical decisions.

Organ Types

PlainTransplant covers 7 organ types as tracked by SRTR: kidney, liver, heart, lung, kidney-pancreas, pancreas, and intestine. Not all centers perform all organ types.

Processing Pipeline

We download SRTR Program-Specific Reports and extract data from the relevant statistical tables for each transplant center and organ type. We process each center's report to extract waiting list statistics, transplant volumes, survival rates, and comparison to national expected rates. Centers are matched to their geographic location and linked across organ types to build comprehensive center profiles. National and state-level aggregations are computed from center-level data. No survival or outcome data is modified, all figures are presented exactly as published by SRTR.

Update Schedule

SRTR publishes Program-Specific Reports semi-annually (approximately May and November). We update our database when each new release becomes available. Between releases, program performance, staffing, and operational status may change. Patients considering transplant programs should consult the most current SRTR reports and speak directly with transplant center staff about recent outcomes.

Limitations

  • Survival rates reflect historical cohorts and are risk-adjusted by SRTR, they do not predict future outcomes for individual patients.
  • Programs with low transplant volumes may show volatile statistics.
  • Data is from the November 2025 SRTR release; more recent program changes are not reflected.
  • Transplant program quality involves many factors not captured in aggregate survival statistics.
  • Wait times and organ availability vary significantly by region and blood type, and are not directly captured in survival rate data.
  • Rankings are based on reported survival rates and should not be the sole factor in choosing a transplant center.

Editorial Workflow

PlainTransplant compiles public SRTR Program-Specific Reports, OPTN/UNOS, and HRSA records. Center, organ, and ranking pages are generated from the source records rather than written individually; the surrounding explanatory pages document the sources, definitions, and limits of those records. Source data is loaded from the official releases, never invented or interpolated. This site does not represent individual medical review of each generated page. It does not accept payment for coverage, placement, or rankings; survival, volume, and waitlist figures are computed directly from SRTR Program-Specific Reports.

Not Affiliated

PlainTransplant is not affiliated with SRTR, HRSA, UNOS, or any hospital or transplant program. We present publicly available SRTR data in a more accessible format.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does PlainTransplant's center data come from?

All center and program statistics come from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) Program-Specific Reports (PSRs), a semi-annual release published by the SRTR under contract with HRSA. Our database is built from the November 2025 release (CSRS 2511), covering 237 transplant centers and 745 center×organ survival records across 7 organ types.

How often is the data updated?

SRTR publishes new Program-Specific Reports approximately every 6 months (typically May and November). PlainTransplant refreshes its database within days of each upstream release. Program performance, staffing, and operational status can change between releases, always verify the latest outcomes directly with SRTR and the transplant center.

How accurate are the survival rates shown?

Survival rates are reported exactly as published by SRTR, with no modifications or interpolation. SRTR risk-adjusts rates to account for patient and donor characteristics. However, rates reflect historical cohorts and should not be interpreted as predictions of individual outcomes. Low-volume programs can show statistical volatility; SRTR flags programs whose outcomes differ significantly from national expected rates.

What are the limitations of this data?

Survival rates are one dimension of transplant center quality, they do not capture center expertise, multidisciplinary team strength, post-transplant follow-up capacity, geographic organ allocation dynamics, or blood-type-specific wait times. Rankings are based on reported 1-year graft survival and should not be the sole factor in choosing a transplant center. Patients should discuss program-specific outcomes with their referring physician and potential transplant teams.

Primary Source Agencies

The organizations behind the data on this site, for verification or further reading: