Dartmouth Health, UVM Health Network partner on kidney transplant care

Patients in Vermont and northern New York will have access to vital local support before and after kidney transplant surgery through a new regional partnership between Dartmouth Health and the University of Vermont Health Network (UVMHN).

When University of Vermont Medical Center (UVMMC) announced in late 2024 that the hospital’s transplant program would no longer perform kidney transplant surgeries, the organization began exploring a collaboration with Dartmouth Health, where UVMMC would continue to provide medical care for patients before and after transplantation, with the actual transplant procedure taking place at Dartmouth Health’s Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC). 

“Rural hospitals and health care systems across the country are evaluating how they will need to transform to preserve access to care, improve affordability, and ensure we’re here for our patients for the long term,” said Sunny Eappen, MD, MBA, president and chief executive officer at UVMHN. “While the decision to stop doing kidney transplants in Burlington was not easy, this partnership with Dartmouth Health is an example of how we can work together—across hospitals, health systems and state borders—to get our patients the care they need.”

Recognizing the critical need for seamless, local care, the two rural academic health systems have signed an agreement to provide a regional care model focused on preserving patient access and continuity of care: 

• Through the partnership, Dartmouth Health transplant surgeons in collaboration with UVM transplant nephrologists, will conduct regular pre-surgical clinics based at UVMMC in Burlington. Patients will be able to undergo pre-transplant evaluations and preparation for transplantation with expert support from both organizations.
• Following transplant surgery at DHMC, and once surgically stable, ongoing care transitions to the transplant nephrology team at UVMMC (in close collaboration and communication with the DHMC transplant surgery team), for long-term post-transplant medical care, streamlining follow-up visits and minimizing the burden of travel for ongoing care. Patients will continue to be followed for as long as the transplant remains functional.

“When UVMMC announced the closure of its transplant program, the transplant program at DHMC began exploring options to allow the patients in northern Vermont and New York to continue to have access to this life-saving treatment,” said Michael F. Daily, MD, MS, FACS, transplant surgery section chief at DHMC. “This evolved into a Dartmouth Health transplant clinic in the previous UVMMC transplant clinic space, utilizing the trained transplant professionals from UVMMC’s clinic and providing care under the banner of Dartmouth Health. For UVMMC patients, they will continue to get much of their care in Burlington, but will now have their transplant at DHMC.”

“This collaboration ensures that kidney transplant patients in our region receive the right care at the right time, in the right place,” said Marios Prikis, MD, FACP, kidney and transplant specialist and medical director at the division of nephrology at UVMHN. “It’s a patient-centered approach for our region that combines expertise with local access.”

UVMMC previously performed about a dozen kidney transplants per year in Burlington. 

Patients currently awaiting transplant or in need of follow-up care can contact 603-653-3931 or dhmctransplant@hitchcock.org, or visit dartmouth-hitchcock.org/transplantation, for more information.