The UPMC Kidney Transplant Program at UPMC Harrisburg Awarded ELITE Status from INTERLINK

The Kidney Transplant Program at UPMC Harrisburg recently qualified for ELITE status with INTERLINK COE Networks & Programs, as part of their credentialed Programs of Excellence transplant network. ELITE status is the highest ranking for their Programs of Excellence transplant network. INTERLINK ranks transplant programs against their peers nationwide and very few programs manage to achieve ELITE status.

“Achieving ELITE program status is truly a testament to our team’s exceptional skill and dedication to providing patients with the best possible care,” says Manish Gupta, MD, chief and surgical director, Kidney Transplant Program at UPMC Harrisburg. “We are proud to provide the central Pa. region, and those traveling into Harrisburg, with access to the highest level of kidney transplant care.”

Reaching ELITE program status is truly an achievement worthy of recognition. To reach this level, programs must demonstrate superior results across a wide range of validated risk-adjusted metrics. ELITE programs attain an INTERLINK Performance Model score that is statistically higher than the national average.

“Success at this level is never coincidental. In my expertise as a transplant surgeon, it reflects the dedication and coordination of a highly skilled team working together in one of the most demanding areas of medicine. Transplant patients are the true beneficiaries of these efforts, particularly when programs such as UPMC Harrisburg offer integrated care before, during, and after transplantation. Your program’s results serve as an inspiring model for others across the transplant community,” says Dr. Richard Freeman, Medical Director at Interlink COE Networks and Programs.

Since 2024, UPMC has partnered with INTERLINK as an addition to its solid organ transplant network. This partnership includes the adult transplant programs at UPMC Presbyterian, pediatric transplant programs at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, and kidney transplantation at UPMC Harrisburg. For more than two decades, INTERLINK has built Centers of Excellence (COE) networks for high-cost, low frequency medical procedures which are used by health plans across the United States.