Time matters when you’re waiting. Dual listing lets you be considered at more than one center. Matching considers medical factors and the distance between the donor hospital and the transplant hospital where you’re listed, so a second listing in a different area can expand opportunities.
What is “Dual Listing” (Also Called “Multiple Listing”)?
Dual listing means you’re on the transplant waitlist at more than one transplant hospital at the same time—think of it as adding another open door for an organ offer. Since there are regional differences in organ offers and transplant center practices, we encourage patients to explore and connect with transplant centers which may help them get transplanted faster.
The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) is the national, federally overseen system that sets the rules for matching and sharing organs; these policies shape your wait time, how offers are made, and your right to dual list.
- Current dual listing policies: According to OPTN Policy 3.4.F, you can register for the same organ at two or more transplant hospitals. Each hospital decides whether to accept candidates who are already listed elsewhere.
- Dual listing vs. transfer: Dual listing keeps you active at more than one hospital. A transfer moves your primary waiting time from one program to another under OPTN Policy 3.6.C. Time earned at two programs at once isn’t double counted.
What UC Health offers: Transplant programs for kidney, liver, and heart. You can add UC Health as a second listing while staying on your current center’s list. To expedite the process, our team has developed a self-referral link that allows patients to refer themselves to our center for transplant, rather than waiting for their physician to make the referral.
Who Can Dual List?
Most people who qualify for an organ transplant can explore multiple listing. You’re a good fit if any of these sound like you:
- Adults or kids listed (or being evaluated) for transplant, including kidney, liver, or heart
- Already listed at any U.S. program and want to add UC Health while keeping your current listing
- Live in Greater Cincinnati or can travel to our transplant center for evaluation or transplant when needed
- Have a potential living donor (you can still dual list for deceased‑donor offers)
- Recently moved or want access to a different donor area (closer to family/support)
Organ-Specific Qualifications for Dual Listing
These are organ-specific items to have ready in addition to the general evaluation steps. Your UC Health team will tell you exactly what’s needed for you.
Kidney transplant
- Documented dialysis start date or eGFR/CrCl ≤ 20 to ensure wait-time credit (OPTN Policy 8.3.A)
- HLA typing and antibody history (sensitization), prior transfusions/transplants
- Recent labs and nephrology notes; vascular access details
- Living donor pathway can continue in parallel if applicable
Liver transplant
- Current MELD/PELD and required labs; recent hepatology/surgery notes
- Imaging and disease-specific documentation (e.g., HCC staging if applicable)
- Nutrition and social-work evaluations as requested
- Travel/readiness plan due to potential urgency of offers
Heart transplant
- Current adult status level (1–6) with supporting documentation
- Device/support details (e.g., LVAD, inotropes) and recent cardiac testing
- Multidisciplinary clearances as requested; caregiver/support plan
- Plan for rapid communication and travel when an offer comes
What’s required everywhere:
- A formal evaluation and acceptance by each hospital
- Possible insurance authorization for evaluation/care at the second program
- Up‑to‑date records and tests so both listings stay active
Steps to Dual List at UC Health in Cincinnati, Ohio
Dual listing is permitted—and we’ll partner with your current team to keep it simple.
- Start with a conversation. Tell us where you’re currently listed and the transplant you’re waiting for; we’ll map out your steps and timing together.
- Share recent records. We help request your listing status, labs, imaging, and clinic notes so our team can complete your review. (Standard for any program.)
- Check insurance together. Coverage for a second listing varies by plan; we’ll help you ask the right questions.
- Complete your evaluation. Some parts can happen near home; others may be in Cincinnati. We’ll plan travel and timing with you.
- Get confirmation. When accepted, you’ll be listed at UC Health in addition to your current center. Keep contact info and labs current at both.
If a patient has already been evaluated at another transplant center, the UC Health transplant team will review any testing that has been done for consideration for transplant. In most cases, we can use most, if not all, of a patient’s prior testing for evaluation here. However, some additional testing may be necessary before final evaluation. These tests will be coordinated across different medical specialties to minimize the number of hospital visits.
Prefer to transfer your waiting time instead of dual listing? That’s allowed. Under OPTN Policy 3.6.C, that time accrued simultaneously at more than one program is counted only once.
What You’ll Need for a Transplant Evaluation
At UC Health, our team will walk you through each item so you’re not chasing paperwork alone. These are standard for any center’s evaluation.
- Government ID and insurance card
- Your current listing status and center contact
- Recent labs, imaging, clinic notes, and medication list
- History of surgeries, transfusions, infections, allergies
- Caregiver/emergency contacts and any social-work forms
- A simple travel/lodging plan if testing or transplant occurs in Cincinnati
How to Talk With Your Current Care Team
Whether you’re adding UC Health as a second listing or you’re a UC Health patient adding another hospital, keep it simple and respectful. Most teams support options that help you, and national policy protects your choices (OPTN Policies 3.4.F and 3.6.C).
Helpful talking points
- Share your goal to explore dual listing
- Ask for help sharing recent labs, imaging, notes, and listing details with the other center you choose
- Confirm policies: multiple listing is allowed; waiting time can be transferred if needed
- Request the required written information about the center’s multiple listing, transferring primary waiting time, and moving your care without losing time; ask whether they accept dual-listed candidates and how that affects your status
- Clarify logistics: who sends records, which tests need updating, expected timeline, and best contact person
- Stay coordinated by keeping contact information and labs current at both centers
We Support Your Options
At UC Health, our goal is a safe transplant as soon as possible. If adding a second listing at another program could help, we’ll say so and help you do it.
How UC Health supports you
- Explain when and why a second listing could help for your organ and situation
- Provide the required written information about multiple listing and waiting-time transfer (per national policy)
- Suggest second-center options to consider based on distance, logistics, and timing
- Prepare and securely share your records upon your request; coordinate any needed testing
- Help with insurance questions and authorizations
- Keep your UC Health listing active and synced while we partner with the other team
- Respect your choice and support you whichever center’s offer comes first
Smart Questions to ask any Transplant Center
A good center welcomes informed questions—use these to compare programs and to open the door to dual listing at UC Health.
- Multiple listing: Do you accept candidates listed at more than one hospital? (Policy 3.4.F permits multiple registrations; hospitals set acceptance policies.)
- Written information: Will you provide your written notice on multiple listing and waiting-time transfer, as required?
- Evaluation and timing: What can be done near home? Which tests would need repeating if I dual-list—and why?
- How offers are made: How do urgency and distance affect offers for my organ? (Kidney: 250‑nautical-mile circle; Liver: Acuity Circles.)
- Wait-time details: If I later switch centers, how does Policy 3.6.C handle my time (and ensure it isn’t double-counted)?
- Insurance and costs: Are you in-network for my plan? What costs might I see for a second evaluation, travel, or lodging?
Frequently Asked Questions: Transplant Dual Listing
Is dual listing allowed?
Yes. OPTN Policy 3.4.F allows candidates to register for the same organ at more than one program. Programs decide whether to accept already multiple-listed candidates.
Will my current center drop me if I dual list?
Dual listing is permitted under national policy (OPTN 3.4.F). A program may set its own acceptance criteria, but it cannot say dual listing is “not allowed.” During evaluation, programs must provide written information about multiple listing and waiting-time transfer (OPTN 3.2). If a center removes you for any reason other than transplant or death, it must notify you in writing and explain why (OPTN 3.5). Ask ahead: “Do you accept dual‑listed candidates, and would adding UC Health affect my status here?”
Do I have to move to Cincinnati to accept an organ?
Not typically. Matching considers clinical factors and distance from the donor hospital to the transplant hospital where you’re listed. Planning for travel simply keeps you ready.
How does dual listing affect my place on the waitlist?
Your waiting time doesn’t double—time accrued at two programs simultaneously counts once. You can transfer primary waiting time between programs under Policy 3.6.C.
Can I dual list if I have (or am seeking) a living donor?
Yes. Living-donor evaluation can run alongside deceased-donor listing; your care team will align timing at each program.
How do I share records between centers?
We help you request your listing details, labs, imaging, clinic notes, and meds so we can complete our evaluation. (These are standard steps.)
What if someone tells me dual listing “isn’t allowed”?
You can reference OPTN Policy 3.4.F — Multiple Transplant Program Registrations. It affirms your option to register at more than one program.
Does dual listing cost extra?
Coverage varies by plan. Ask about benefits for a second evaluation, network status, and any travel/lodging support.
How fast can UC Health list me after evaluation?
Timelines depend on records, insurance authorizations, and organ-specific testing. We coordinate with your current team and keep you informed at every step.
Can I move my waiting time to UC Health instead of dual listing?
Yes. You can transfer waiting time to UC Health using the Wait Time Transfer process in Policy 3.6.C.
Choosing UC Health for Transplant
Every day on the waitlist matters. If a second listing can expand your chances, we’ll make it simple. As a national leader in transplant surgeries, UC Health’s team coordinates records, reviews insurance, and keeps you informed—so you can focus on living while we handle the legwork.
- Start Your Dual‑Listing Evaluation by completing this form
- Connect by speaking with a UC Health’s transplant team:
- Kidney Transplant: 513-584-7001
- Liver Transplant: 513-584-9999
- Heart Transplant: 513-584-5174
