Lankenau Medical Center is voluntarily closing its kidney transplant program in July

Lankenau Medical Center said this week it is voluntarily closing its kidney transplant program at the end of July, citing a yearslong decline in the number of transplants at the hospital owned by Main Line Health.

The number of kidney transplants at the Wynnewood hospital fell to 8 last year from a peak of 40 in 2016, according to federal data.

“While this has been a well-respected program with excellent outcomes thanks to the dedication of the team, transplant volumes have decreased substantially due to the national change in organ allocation process,” Lankenau said in a statement.

“Maintaining the transplant program is not sustainable,” it added.

A new rule took effect in 2021 that allowed kidneys to be transported over a wider area — up to 250 nautical miles — to a recipient, effectively creating more competition for the organs.

Lankenau relied on Jefferson Transplant Institute surgeons. Jefferson, which performs transplants at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and at Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia, will pick up care for patients on Lankenau’s wait list.