Effort to Remedy Harm from Race-Based Kidney Test Helps Black Transplant Patients

Thousands of Black transplant candidates given credit for time lost due to biased medical test

Published on Mar. 9, 2026

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A racially biased medical test used for years kept Black people from getting kidney transplants. An unprecedented effort is now underway to reverse the effects of this test, with thousands of Black transplant candidates being given credit on the transplant waiting list for time they lost due to the biased test. This has increased the kidney transplant rate for Black patients, though less than a third have received the wait-time modifications so far.

Why it matters

The race-based kidney function test exacerbated existing disparities that make Black Americans more at risk of needing a new kidney but less likely to get one. Black patients make up about 30% of the kidney transplant list but are over three times more likely than white people to experience kidney failure. This effort aims to address this longstanding racial inequity in access to life-saving transplants.

The details

The biased kidney test was based on a measurement of how quickly a waste compound called creatinine gets filtered from blood. In 1999, an equation used to calculate that rate was modified to adjust Black people's results compared to everyone else's, based on some studies with small numbers of Black patients and a long-ago false theory about differences in creatinine levels. This made Black patients' kidneys appear healthier than they really were, delaying diagnosis of impending organ failure and referral for transplant.

  • In January 2023, the U.S. transplant system ended use of the race-based test and ordered hospitals to determine which Black patients on their transplant lists could have qualified for a new kidney sooner.
  • The researchers analyzed a database of all kidney transplants between January 2022 and June 2025.

The players

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

A hospital that participated in the analysis of the kidney transplant data.

Brigham and Women's Hospital

A hospital that participated in the analysis of the kidney transplant data.

Boston Medical Center

A hospital that participated in the analysis of the kidney transplant data.

Dr. L. Ebony Boulware

A researcher at Wake Forest University School of Medicine who wrote a commentary urging similar efforts to mitigate harm from other erroneously race-based medical tests.

Dr. Rohan Khazanchi

A researcher at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Boston Medical Center who led the study.

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What they’re saying

“Improving transplant care for Black individuals did not harm individuals of other races.”

— Dr. L. Ebony Boulware, Researcher, Wake Forest University School of Medicine (JAMA Internal Medicine)

“The policy 'hopefully helps move the needle toward equity'.”

— Dr. Rohan Khazanchi, Researcher, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Boston Medical Center (Interview)

What’s next

Khazanchi said Black patients more recently added to the transplant list should ask if they also may be eligible for the wait-time modifications, as the ordered lookback to change wait times happened in 2023.

The takeaway

This effort to remedy the harm caused by a racially biased medical test is an important step towards addressing longstanding disparities in access to life-saving kidney transplants for Black Americans. However, more work is needed to ensure all eligible patients receive the wait-time credits they are owed.