Model to pay kidney donors might lead to increase in donation for transplants and also be cost effective

Doctors and researchers are contemplating a government or third-party administered model for increasing kidney donors. Their model shows savings of $340. There is increase of 0.11 quality-adjusted life years in a patient’s lifetime. It inculcates a financial incentive of paying the living donor $10,000. Dr. Barnieh says, "Such a program could be cost saving because of the extra number of kidney transplants and, consequently, lower dialysis costs. Further, by increasing the number of people receiving a kidney transplant, this program could improve net health by increasing the quality and quantity of life for patients with end-stage renal disease." Allen and Reese, proposing limited trial of the same, say "Current trends regarding the use of financial incentives in medicine suggest that the time is ripe for new consideration of payments for living kidney donation," they wrote. "Reassurance about the ethical concerns, however, can come only through empirical evidence from actual experience,"