Financial Counseling

Financial planning is an important part of the transplant process. Each of our transplant programs has a financial counselor who will help you understand the cost of transplantation, your individual benefits and the cost of medications after transplant. Our transplant financial counselors can be reached between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday at 800-288-2600 or at the individual numbers below.

Liver & Lung: Melisa Conyer (photo left) at 615-343-4927 
Heart: Linda Storey (photo right) at 615-343-2003



Kidney/Pancreas: Beth Goodrich at 615-322-0684 
 

Before your transplant evaluation, please call your insurance provider to learn if your plan covers transplantation at Vanderbilt Medical Center.

See other resources: Transplant Pharmacists, Psychiatry, Quality of Life Research, Return to Work, Infectious Disease Program, or Social Work.

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Transplant Pharmacists

Transplant pharmacists are unique resources for all solid organ transplant programs. A transplant clinical pharmacist reviews and monitors your drug therapy and provides education for you, your caregivers and the transplant staff. Transplant pharmacists will work with you to be sure you take all your medications carefully. Our transplant pharmacists are:

Christie B. Truscott, Pharm. D., Director, at 615-322-8992 



Jennifer Fosnot, Pharm. D: at 615-936-5334 



Christine Tseng, Pharm. D., Resident, at 615-936-6657

See other resources: Financial Counseling, Psychiatry, Quality of Life Research, Return to Work, Infectious Disease Program, or Social Work.

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Psychiatry

As a transplant patient, you will receive complete psychiatric services, including treatment for symptoms that happen during the transplant process. The transplant psychiatry team talks with all candidates for transplantation and provides follow-up treatment to address complex ongoing issues associated with transplantation. An important part of the transplant psychiatry team's work is helping you make sure you take your medication as prescribed and follow doctor's orders.

For more information, contact Karen Starr, M.S.N., R.N., P.M.H.N.P., B.C. Director, at 615-936-2404.

See other resources: Financial Counseling, Transplant Pharmacists, Quality of Life Research, Return to Work, Infectious Disease Program, or Social Work.

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Return to Work

For transplant patients, resuming employment helps complete the recovery process and restores emotional and financial well-being. Yet returning to work is also one of the greatest challenges faced by transplant and dialysis patients. The Vanderbilt Return-to-Work program reflects the Vanderbilt Transplant Center's commitment to helping patients resume satisfying work.

For more information, contact Joanne Ball, MST, CVE, ABVE, Director, at 615-936-3647.

See other resources: Financial Counseling, Transplant Pharmacists, Psychiatry, Quality of Life Research, Infectious Disease Program, or Social Work.

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Social Work

At the time you are evaluated as a potential transplant recipient, social workers at the Vanderbilt Transplant Center and Nashville VA Medical Center work with you and your family. We help you develop realistic expectations about the inherent difficulties in the transition back to home, to work and to your community. Our social workers provide patients with information related to:

• taking medication correctly
• following the doctor's orders
• adjusting to the changes transplant can bring to your life and family
• insurance
• financial difficulties
• disability

There are social workers in each organ specialty, as follows:

• Liver: Erik Lillie, L.C.S.W. 615-936-5321
• Liver (Nashville VA Medical Center): Patricia Coffee, L.C.S.W. 615-327-4751, ext. 6177
• Kidney & Pancreas: Mary Schaeffer, L.C.S.W. 615-936-0695
• Kidney (Nashville VA Medical Center): Katrina Stokes, L.C.S.W. 615-327-4751, ext. 7689
• Heart & Lung: Anne Schmitt, C.M.S.W. 615-936-0398
• Heart (Nashville VA Medical Center): Patricia Coffee, L.C.S.W. 615-327-4751, ext. 6177
  
   

See other resources: Financial Counseling, Transplant Pharmacists, Psychiatry, Infectious Disease Program, Quality of Life Research, Infectious Disease Program, or Return to Work.

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Quality of Life Research

Vanderbilt Transplant Center's Quality of Life and Outcomes Research Group monitors outcomes that are reported from the transplant patient's perspective, such as quality of life. This group also studies patient satisfaction with the program, return to employment and the economic impact of transplantation.

All adult transplant candidates and recipients can participate in this group's work. Your responses provide useful information about your health-related quality of life, ability to do the things you want, emotional well-being, overall health, return to employment and satisfaction with transplantation. This information helps us target specific concerns of transplant patients and their families. Through this process we can promote changes that ensure the best possible outcomes for all.

For more information, contact Irene Feurer, Ph.D., Director, at 615-322-8989.

See other resources: Financial Counseling, Transplant Pharmacists, Psychiatry, Return to Work, Infectious Disease Program, or Social Work.

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Infectious Disease Program

Vanderbilt's Transplant Infectious Disease Program is an integral component in the continued success of the Transplant Center. Two full-time infectious disease physicians are devoted to staffing this program. Dr. Stephen Dummer, Program Director, focuses on providing effective antibiotic prophylaxis and infection management, which improves patient and graft survivals in all types of transplantation. Dr. Geraldine Miller is a member of the National Institute of Health Study Section on Surgery, Anesthesiology and Trauma which evaluates funding for most transplant applications. Allo and xeno transplantation and studies related to immunology, biochemistry, pathology and infectious complications of transplantation are included in the program. These doctors make daily rounds on the transplant units at Vanderbilt and the Nashville VA Medical Center.

See other resources: Transplant Pharmacists, Psychiatry, Quality of Life Research, Return to Work, or Social Work.

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