1. Minority Affairs Committee Update
Spring 2014
The Minority Affairs Committee met on March 18, 2014 in Chicago.

2. Ongoing Committee Initiatives
Educational Guidance on Patient Referral to Kidney Transplantation – Provider Resource Implementation
Kidney Referral Manuscript
MAC Review Article
During the meeting, the MAC received updates on s Several ongoing committee projects are nearing completion.
The committee developed The MAC Educational Guidance on Patient Referral to Kidney Transplantation document was developedto address differences in provider referral practices. It raises awareness among referring physicians about current trends in the field of kidney transplantation, particularly with regard to and identifying appropriate patients for referral for transplant evaluation.
The board approved the guidance document in 2013 and it will be posted on the OPTN website early this spring. The committee is now working on ways to take information from this document and incorporate it into various educational resources for providers. The guidance document was approved by the Board in 2013 and the committee is now working on several initiatives to translate the content in the guidance document to specific educational resources targeted to providers. The completed guidance document has been submitted to HRSA for posting on the OPTN, Transplant Pro, and NKDOQI websites. The referral messages in the The messages from this guidance document have been incorporated into KAS educational materials, including the KAS toolkit, the KAS educational webinar, and a downloadable video recording. The referral message will also be translated into content that can be delivered at professional meetings, culminating in a feature article in Transplant Pro and a downloadable brochure for providers.
The committee is finalizing work on a manuscript summarizing the results of the MAC kidney referral survey. The survey highlights the lack of oversight regarding the transplant referral process to ensure that all patients suitable for transplantation are referred appropriately.
Further, the MAC has developed a draft manuscript documenting the role of the how the OPTN Minority Affairs Committee (MAC) works with other OPTN committees to develop national kidney transplant allocation policy. The article uses case study examples representing a twenty-year policy development cycle of initiatives that led to several important and successful organ allocation policy changes which resulted in significant improvements in transplant outcomes for ethnic minority patients with end-stage renal disease.

3. New Committee Initiatives
A Patient's Guide to Referral to Kidney Transplantation
Educational Guidance on Informed Consent for Living Donors Representing Vulnerable Populations
The committee is also working on two new committee projects.
A Patients Guide to Referral to Kidney Transplantation, is an initiative of the MAC and the Patient Affairs Committee (PAC) to translate the content from the previously referenced MAC Educational Guidance on Referral to Kidney Transplantation into referral resources targeted to ESRD patients. The primary resources developed will include a downloadable patient brochure and material delivered via the internet and social media.
The Educational Guidance on Informed Consent for Living Donors Representing Vulnerable Populations project acknowledges that some potential living donors are at greater risk of developing ESRD post donation. These potential donors often represent traditionally underserved and/or vulnerable populations (younger aged, ethnic minorities, est. ) that may be more susceptible to coercion and other pressures to donate, despite the risk. They may also be less likely to receive adequate information about future risk. The MAC informed consent resource that would provide guidance for defining a patient’s potential and/or known risk factors as a living donor with talking points to counsel patients interested in considering living donation. The goal would be to standardize the discussion with potential living donors with specific risk factors to help ensure that the practice of living donation remains accessible and safe as a transplant option. The MAC is collaborating with several OPTN committees, including the Living Donor, Transplant Administrators, Ethics, and Kidney Committees in developing the resource. The target audience for this educational resource is providers with primary responsibility for initiating the informed consent discussion as part of the living donor evaluation.

4. Other Updates Review of Liver Maps by Ethnicity KPDPP Survey
Proposal Reviews
Update on OPTN Committee Project Collaborations
Review of MAC Framework
The committee also reviewed other data, including proposed liver maps by ethnicity resulting from the Liver Committee work to develop a more geographically equitable liver allocation/distribution. The MAC was also provided with a review of the Kidney Paired Donation Pilot Project Survey to assess barriers to program participation. The MAC reviewed 8 of the 17 proposals distributed for public comment. Further, as part of its efforts to provide early input into organ allocation policy development, the MAC was provided with an update on the work of the Thoracic and Pediatric committees. Finally, the committee noted its intent to update the frame of reference for the MAC in its review and consideration of organ allocation policy, to more broadly define the scope of its work. This may include a name change to reflect its broadened scope.

5. Questions? Meelie Debroy, MD Committee Chair
Name Region # Representative
Deanna L. Parker Committee Liaison