In accordance with UNOS guidelines, organs that become available are initially offered to patients within a small region. If the organs are not utilized in that region, they are then offered nationally. Patients listed at Rush are offered organs from donors in the region served by the Gift of Hope Organ and Tissue Donor Network, which includes the state of Illinois and the northern part of Indiana.

Patients listed for liver transplantation are given a score of up to 40. This score, called the MELD score (Model for End Stage Liver Disease), is based strictly on the following three laboratory values: the total bilirubin; the protime, or INR; and the creatinine. Livers are initially offered to patients with the highest score up to 40. Waiting times differ depending on the severity of the patient’s illness, the size of the patient and the blood type. We do our very best to estimate the waiting time for each patient.