2021 Volume 56 Issue 2 Pages 125-132
In Japan, islet transplantation was covered by the national insurance system in 2020 after a transitional period with the special insurance system, named the “Advanced Medical Treatment B”, which had started in 2012. During the transitional period, 22 donors donated islets and 17 of them were actually transplanted. All the recipients have been able to maintain stable blood glucose levels, and severe hypoglycemic attacks have been successfully avoided. Based on the results of a multicenter clinical trial in Japan, pancreatic islet transplantation was covered by public medical insurance in April 2020. As a requirement for insurance coverage, the presence of a donor coordinator is now mandatory for certification as an islet transplant facility. The employment and education of coordinators will be an important aspect in the development of islet transplantation. Offering a new option of treatment for the patient with type I diabetes is the job assigned to the recipient transplant coordinator (RTC). For this purpose, an RTC is considered indispensable. In our institution, one individual has served as the RTC from the beginning of the program, and that person could offer peace of mind to patients. In this article, we would like to summarize the process of the establishment of coordinators for islet transplantation with current problems and future perspectives.
