Financial reimbursement: an incentive to increase the supply of transplantable organs.

The medical need for human organs suitable for transplantation far exceeds the current supply of organs and continues to grow. A perception exists that minorities, specifically African Americans, are not donating organs at a rate consistent with their representation of the national population. Cadaveric donor data from 1995 reveals that 11.4% of the donors were African American, 9.1% were Hispanic, and 1.5% were of Asian origin. The purpose of this study was to explore the hypothesis that financial reimbursement would increase organ donation among potential donors who are hesitant to donate for altruistic reasons alone.