Our Methodology

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 active transplant programs across 7 organ types and includes state-level and national aggregate statistics.

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: Total transplants performed per program per year.
  • 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.

Organ Types

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

Content on PlainTransplant is compiled by our editorial team. Raw data from SRTR Program-Specific Reports, OPTN/UNOS, and HRSA is ingested programmatically; narrative framing, center and organ page text, rankings commentary, and methodology writeups are drafted by our editorial team and then reviewed line-by-line by the PlainTransplant editorial team before publication. We follow rigorous editorial standards: source data is loaded directly from official agencies, never invented or interpolated. No page on PlainTransplant is published without human review. We do 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 active transplant programs 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: