Total Number of Solid-Organ Transplants Jumps 238 Percent in New York State from 1988 to 2007

ROCHESTER, NY (03/04/2009)(readMedia)-- The number of solid-organ transplants performed in New York state increased 238 percent over the past 20 years, and these advances, along with new medicines and vaccines, have helped add 30 years to life expectancy in the past century, according to reports issued today by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield.

The first report, "Solid-Organ Transplants in Upstate New York," shows that:

• 616 solid-organ transplants (kidney, liver, heart, pancreas, lung and/or intestine) were performed in New York state in 1988. That number had jumped to 2,079 by 2007. In upstate New York, the number of transplants (kidney, liver, heart, and/or pancreas) increased from 173 in 1988 to 390 in 2007 (a 125 percent increase).
• Median waiting times for solid-organ transplants in upstate New York vary by organ and transplant center.
• In spite of the growing number of transplants and varied waiting times, 1,739 upstate New Yorkers were on the waiting list to receive an organ transplant on Dec. 31, 2007, and 107 others had died while awaiting a transplant that year.

"Medical advances over the past several years have so dramatically improved not just the duration of life but the quality of a healthy life," said Jamie Kerr, M.D., vice president, chief medical officer, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield.

Still, large waiting lists and long wait times persist. One reason is because nearly half of all Americans haven't signed an organ donor card, even though a Gallup survey for the Health Resources and Services Administration indicates that 95 percent of Americans strongly support organ donation.

"It's clear that if more upstate New Yorkers would tell family and friends of their wishes to be an organ donor and then enroll in the New York State Donate Life Registry, additional lives could be saved," said Kerr. Further information about becoming a donor is included in the Excellus BCBS fact sheet.

A second report published by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield reveals that discoveries of new medicines, treatments and procedures in the last century have lessened the impact of many serious diseases and conditions and gradually increased the average life expectancy in the United States. The "Facts About Life Expectancy" report notes that:

• The preliminary estimate of life expectancy at birth for the total U.S. population reached a record high of 78.1 years in 2006, which is more than 65 percent greater than the average life expectancy (47.3 years) for Americans born in the year 1900.
• The life expectancy for males and females reached record levels in 2006 and differences between male and female life expectancies have been decreasing since 1979.
• New Yorkers' life expectancy slightly exceeds that of the nation - by 2.1 years for males and 1.7 years for females.
• The largest jumps in life expectancy occurred from 1920 to 1930 (insulin was first used to treat diabetes in 1921; and vaccines for diphtheria, tuberculosis and tetanus all were developed in the 1920s) and from 1940 to 1950 (streptomycin was discovered in 1944 and the first vaccine for influenza was used in 1945).
• Since the 1950s, the average U.S. life expectancy has been increasing on average at about 1.5 years per decade. Discoveries during the past half-century include vaccines for polio, measles, mumps, rubella, pneumonia, meningitis, hepatitis and human papillomavirus. The first kidney transplant was performed in 1954 and the first pancreas, heart and liver transplants occurred in 1966 and 1967 (the same year in which the first coronary bypass surgery was conducted).

From 2001 to 2007, kidney transplants have been the most frequently performed transplants in the United States, according to the Excellus BlueCross BlueShield "Solid Organ Transplants" report. Liver and heart transplants took more distant second and third places.

Waiting times for solid-organ transplants in upstate New York vary by organ and transplant center. The general principles that guide the distribution of organs include a patient's medical urgency; blood, tissue and size match with the donor; length of time on the waiting list; and proximity to the donor.

Solid-organ transplants do come with big price tags. According to Milliman, which provides transplant cost data to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), heart transplants have the highest estimated billing costs. Liver transplants are second in terms of estimated billing costs, while kidney-pancreas transplants are third.

Excellus BlueCross BlueShield's analysis estimates that billed charges for the 390 transplants performed in upstate New York approached $132 million in 2007. That included $64,310,400 for 261 kidney transplants, $50,920,800 for 98 liver transplants and $11,858,400 for 18 heart transplants. Milliman cautions, however, that the amount billed may not be the actual amount paid for transplant services. UNOS also says that transplant costs vary, depending on the hospital and organ type.

More complete details about organ transplants and life expectancy rates can be found in the new Excellus BCBS fact sheets, "Solid-Organ Transplants in Upstate New York" and "Facts About Life Expectancy," both of which are available by selecting the "Policy and Research" tab at www.excellusbcbs.com

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Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, a nonprofit independent licensee of the BlueCross BlueShield Association, is part of a family of companies that finances and delivers vital health care services to 1.8 million people across upstate New York. Excellus BlueCross BlueShield provides access to high-quality, affordable health coverage, including valuable health-related resources that our members use every day, such as cost-saving prescription drug discounts and wellness tracking tools in our Step Up program. To learn more, visit www.excellusbcbs.com