Name: How Algorithms Decide Who Gets a Kidney
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Algorithms are designed to make medicine more accurate. But when race is factored in, they can worsen inequality.

Clinical algorithms are meant to guide doctors toward better care – but do they?

Clinical algorithms are meant to guide doctors toward better care – but do they?

Algorithms are designed to make medicine more accurate. But when race is factored in, they can worsen inequality.

How Algorithms Decide Who Gets a Kidney

Body & Brain

How Algorithms Decide Who Gets a KidneyPublished: September 9, 2025NARRATOR: For decisions like who should get a kidney transplant, doctors across many medical fields routinely use calculations that combine a patient’s medical history with additional data. These calculations are called “clinical algorithms.”MICHELLE MORSE, M.D. (Acting Commissioner, New York City Health Department): A clinical algorithm is a tool that clinicians would use to really best understand their patient’s specific diagnosis or treatment.NARRATOR: According to the clinical algorithm that Gregory’s doctors used, if Gregory had the same test results but was white, he would’ve immediately qualified for a kidney transplant evaluation. But why would race be a variable in determining kidney function?MICHELLE MORSE: There should be no reason why the physiological function of someone who’s Black would look different than the physiological function of someone who’s white.

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How Algorithms Decide Who Gets a Kidney

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