Every patient who is accepted onto a transplant program’s waiting list are registered with UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing). UNOS is the non-profit organization that administers the nation’s organ transplant waiting list and distributes organs nationwide. UNOS maintains a centralized computer network which links all organ procurement organizations and transplant centers around the country. The Gift of Life Donor Program is the non-profit organ procurement organization that serves the Philadelphia area.

The average waiting list time for a patient at Albert Einstein Medical Center for both a kidney and pancreas is two and a half to three years -- the national average. At Einstein and nationally, the waiting time for a pancreas alone is a little longer than for a kidney and pancreas combined. This is because a pancreas transplant is riskier and more complicated than a kidney transplant. This typically means that only pancreata from young donors are used since these are the healthiest.