UW Medicine Opens Kidney Transplant Clinic in Missoula

The satellite clinic lets Missoula patients begin transplant evaluations locally, with final pre-transplant testing still required in Seattle.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Nursing Jobs

Clear-day photograph of a low brick-and-timber clinic building with a covered entrance, set against distant pale mountain ridges in western Montana. — UW Medicine opened a kidney transplant satellite clinic in Missoula at the end of October, letting local patients begin evaluations closer to home before final testing in Seattle. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

University of Washington Medicine's kidney transplant program opened a satellite clinic in Missoula at the end of October. Patients whose initial tests confirm eligibility will still travel to Seattle for final tests before transplant.

Why it matters

Nephrologists in Missoula requested the clinic to address local demand for kidney care. Growth in Missoula and Bozeman over the past decade has increased the need for kidney services in the region.

The clinic's first two days featured full slates of 12-hour appointments, while patients with confirmed eligibility must make a round trip of roughly 700 miles to Seattle for final pre-transplant testing. The extraction does not specify expected patient volume or staffing levels beyond quarterly clinical visits.

The players

University of Washington Medicine

The academic medical system based in Seattle that operates the kidney transplant program extending to Missoula.

Dr. Chris Blosser

A transplant physician with the program who will lead periodic clinical-care visits at the Missoula clinic.

Jeff Stanavich

A 24-year-old Missoula resident referred to the clinic by a local nephrologist, who previously received two kidney transplants in Florida.

The details

The clinic handles in-person first evaluations, with blood, cardiac, and cancer tests conducted locally afterward. Dr. Chris Blosser and a nurse coordinator will visit Missoula every three months for clinical care.

End of October 2026: Kidney transplant satellite clinic opens in Missoula.
Every three months: Blosser and a nurse coordinator conduct clinical-care visits in Missoula.

Market Landscape

Institutions in Utah recently pulled back from healthcare they were providing in Montana, leaving a gap in specialized services. The Missoula clinic places a major academic transplant program in the state at the same time that regional growth in Missoula and Bozeman is raising demand for kidney care.

Missoula patients who qualify for a kidney transplant can begin evaluations locally rather than traveling immediately to Seattle. Final pre-transplant testing still requires the roughly 700-mile round trip to Seattle.

The takeaway

Patients in western Montana who need kidney care now have a local starting point for evaluation, though the final steps still require travel. Residents facing a transplant evaluation should confirm with their nephrologist which tests can be done in Missoula before scheduling.