USC Shuts Down Kidney Transplant Program
LOS ANGELES (CBS) — The kidney transplant program at USC University Hospital has been shut down since late last month due to an unexplained "process error," a hospital spokeswoman said Thursday.
A statement from the hospital did not give details of the error, but said no patient was harmed.
The hospital said it had "voluntarily and temporarily inactivated its kidney transplant program" on Jan. 29 "while a review is conducted following a process error."
The statement said that because patient safety "is the hospital's number one concern, the hospital inactivated the program while clinical protocols are assessed and additional safeguards to the kidney transplant program are developed."
As for the waiting list, "staff is providing assistance to patients ... by helping them get on kidney wait lists at other facilities, if that is their choice," the statement said.
Hospital officials said clinic appointments, testing and other forms of patient care are continuing as scheduled.
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