Meet the Rest of the Team
Financial Coordinator
Before you can be evaluated by our Liver Transplant team, the financial coordinator contacts the patient's insurance for preapproval and other payment issues.
Social Worker
Once the financial coordinator has obtained the necessary authorization, a Transplant Program social worker will reach out to you to set up the first appointment. A social worker is a professional who evaluates readiness for transplantation and helps support your psychosocial needs.
At your first appointment, you should plan on spending about half a day getting educated about the process, meeting other Jefferson Liver Transplant staff and signing consent forms. You will first meet with the social worker for about an hour.
Transplant Coordinators
After meeting with the social worker, you will undergo a two-hour education and consent session with a transplant coordinator, who is a nurse serving as your point of contact throughout the evaluation and listing process. During this session, you will receive a thorough overview of liver disease, as well as an overview of Jefferson's Transplant Program and personnel.
The transplant coordinator also reviews the in-depth Consent for Evaluation for Liver Transplant form with you, which you must understand and sign before you can proceed with a transplant evaluation.
Finally, the transplant coordinator outlines the medical tests and consultations that must be performed as part of the evaluation process.
If approved for a transplant (being listed), you will be notified by the transplant coordinator.
Psychologist and Psychiatrist
Liver transplantation can sometimes be an emotional process. A Jefferson psychologist or psychiatrist is always on hand to meet with you to hear your concerns both pre- and post-surgery.
Medical Assistant
Along the way, you will meet a medical assistant who aids our transplant coordinators with post-transplant clinical operations such as material and chart preparation, retrieval and documentation of diagnostic studies. The medical assistant also participates in weekly transplant clinics by performing vital signs, reviewing medications, confirming prior authorization of any medication needed and retrieving and recording lab results.
Independent Donor Advocate
If you are a potential living organ donor, you will be provided with an Independent Donor Advocate (IDA). It is the IDA's responsibility to promote the best interests of the potential living donor, advocate for the rights of the potential donor and assist the potential donor in obtaining and understanding information regarding the consent process, evaluation process, surgical procedure and benefit and need for follow-up care.
Transplant Dietitian
Eating properly is a vital part of your recovery process. The transplant dietitian works with an interdisciplinary healthcare team to provide nutrition services and medical nutrition therapy that are integrated and compatible with your medical goals and objectives. The dietitian provides nutrition counseling to the recipients and the donors throughout the transplant process from the pre-transplant through the post-transplant phase.
Integrative Medicine Specialists
You may have considered receiving complementary healing therapies for your pain in addition to standard medical treatment. Our expert clinicians of the Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine are board certified in their specialty and credentialed through Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. The Center offers the following therapies:
- Nutritional Medicine
- Herbal Medicine
- Therapeutic Massage
- Homeopathy
- Acupuncture
- Mindfulness Meditation
- Yoga
- Psychological Services
Transplant Pharmacist
The transplant pharmacist offers pharmacy services such as therapeutic drug monitoring and will educate you on the potential side effects and drug interactions of any medication you may receive. The pharmacist may also offer you counseling on individualized drug regimens.
Physician Liaison
Responsible for reaching out to referring physicians, the physician liaison also coordinates office visits and offers assistance with the American Cancer Society (ACS) Patient Navigator at Jefferson, which is a free service for cancer patients and those who care for them. To contact our physician liaison, please call 215-503-7507.