Thousands of kidney patients in the United States start dialysis without first being told of kidney transplants that would be cheaper and lead to longer lives. Kidney transplantation adds an average of 10 years to a patient's life and costs the Medicare program $50,000 less per patient than dialysis treatment. Patients start dialysis when their kidney function goes below 15 percent. Federal transplant rules allow patients to be placed on the waiting list when their kidney function is at 20 percent. Although there are currently not enough organs for everyone to receive one, being informed of transplant options allows patients to seek out living kidney donors such as relatives or friends.   

This article originally appeared in the November 2009 issue of Kidney Transplant Today.