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October 16, 2025

(The Markup) – For years a race-based medical calculation delayed Black patients access to life-saving kidney transplants
The eGFR, or estimated glomerular filtration rate, is an equation that estimates the percentage of kidney function someone has — based on how well kidneys filter waste products from blood. For Black people, doctors would increase the value by a few points, simply based on race. This delayed the point at which doctors would say their kidneys had failed. Meaning, by the time Black folks got on the transplant list, many either died on dialysis or their body was too weak to survive a kidney transplant.
Currently, there are about 92,000 Americans on the kidney transplant list, and roughly 27,000 are Black Americans. For decades, this race-based calculation exaggerated Black patients’ kidney function, making it take longer for them to get on the transplant list. (Read More)