Improving community access to liver transplant referrals
Liver Transplant-Community Access and Referral Engagement (LT-CARE) Pilot Study
This project will try new ways to help people with advanced liver disease—especially Black and underinsured patients—get referred from local clinics to a liver transplant center.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Indiana University Indianapolis NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Indianapolis, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11194010 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you have advanced or decompensated liver disease, this project will work with community doctors to help you reach a transplant center. The team will partner with local gastroenterology clinics to improve referral steps through clearer protocols, staff training, and navigation support. They will pilot outreach and tracking across community sites to increase timely evaluations for Black and underserved patients. Your clinic visits and medical records may be used to follow whether referrals and evaluations happen more quickly.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are adults with decompensated cirrhosis or advanced liver disease who receive care in community GI clinics, particularly Black, uninsured, or underserved patients in Indiana.
Not a fit: People without advanced liver disease, those already connected to a transplant center, or those in regions outside the participating community clinics are unlikely to benefit directly.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could increase timely referrals and evaluations for liver transplant, especially for patients from Black and underserved communities.
How similar studies have performed: Prior navigation and outreach programs have improved access in some settings and disparities in transplant referrals are well documented, but applying these approaches specifically to community liver transplant referrals is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Indianapolis, United States
- Indiana University Indianapolis — Indianapolis, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Nephew, Lauren — Indiana University Indianapolis
- Study coordinator: Nephew, Lauren
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.