March 11, 2026
New research suggests that restorative justice efforts aimed at correcting the impact of a racially biased medical test that blocked or delayed Black patients from receiving kidney transplants are beginning to show results.
New research suggests that restorative justice efforts aimed at correcting the impact of a racially biased medical test that blocked or delayed Black patients from receiving kidney transplants are beginning to show results.
On March 9, researchers reported that thousands of Black transplant candidates have been credited with additional time on the kidney transplant waiting list to account for delays caused by the flawed test, effectively moving them up in priority as part of a restorative justice effort, the Associated Press reports.
Among the more than 21,000 Black candidates who received adjustments, the median increase was 1.7 years, according to findings published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
The added time is significant, as the wait for a kidney transplant typically ranges from three to five years and can be even longer in some regions of the country. The flawed test relied on a race-based formula to estimate kidney function, making Black patients’ kidneys appear healthier than they actually were. As a result, diagnoses of worsening kidney failure and referrals for transplants were often delayed.
After the U.S. transplant system eliminated the race-based calculation, hospitals were directed to review their records to identify Black patients who may have qualified for a transplant sooner. Facilities then began crediting those patients with the lost time on the waiting list to help correct the earlier bias.
Researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Boston Medical Center analyzed a national database of kidney transplants performed between January 2022 and June 2025, comparing transplant rates before and after the January 2023 policy change. Following the policy change, the transplant rate for Black patients rose immediately by 5.3 transplants per 1,000 listings before later leveling off.
Overall, kidney transplant rates increased during the study period, while the rate for non-Black patients remained largely unchanged under the new policy and continued to be highest among white patients, researchers reported.
The policy “hopefully helps move the needle toward equity,” said Dr. Rohan Khazanchi of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Boston Medical Center, who led the study.
The findings “suggest that improving transplant care for Black individuals did not harm individuals of other races,” said Dr. L. Ebony Boulware of Wake Forest University School of Medicine, who wasn’t involved in the study but supports similar efforts aimed at addressing harm caused by other outdated, race-based medical tests.
The former race-based kidney test was just one example of a broader issue within health care. Many formulas and algorithms used in medical decision-making, from treatment guidelines and diagnostic tools to risk calculators, factor in race or ethnicity in ways that can disadvantage patients of color.
Because these equations are deeply embedded in medical software and electronic health records, many physicians may not even realize how frequently they influence care decisions.
“Health equity scholars have been raising alarm bells about the way race has been misused in clinical algorithms for decades,” Dr. Michelle Morse, New York City’s chief medical officer, said in 2024 when the testing was made public.
Although the mandated review to adjust waiting times took place in 2023, Khazanchi advises Black patients who were added to the transplant list more recently to ask whether they may also qualify for a wait-time adjustment.
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