News

First-ever Recognition Marks Milestone for Safety, Quality Standards

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr. 29, 2013-- DaVita®, a division of DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc.(NYSE: DVA) and a leading provider of kidney care services, today announced that DaVita Hospital Services^SM, the company’s inpatient kidney care services, has received Ambulatory Health Care Accreditation from The Joint Commission.

DaVita Hospital Services is the first-ever inpatient kidney care services provider to receive Ambulatory Health Care Accreditation. DaVita worked with The Joint Commission to understand the application of Joint Commission ambulatory standards relevant to efforts to improve safety and quality of inpatient kidney care and dialysis therapies.

“Simply put, this accreditation makes DaVita the partner of choice for hospitals,” said Dr. Robert Provenzano, vice president of medical affairs at DaVita. “These standards will help DaVita assist our hospital partners in risk management, survey preparedness and enhancements to the quality and safety of patient care.”

The Joint Commission surveyed more than 175 DaVita inpatient kidney care sites over the course of two and a half months to determine the validity of the accreditation.

“We are honored that The Joint Commission's review determined that DaVita's standards for inpatient kidney care services set the bar for the industry," said Dennis Kogod, COO of DaVita. "We thank our teammates who helped make this happen and The Joint Commission for its thorough review, analysis and hard work. We are proud to have earned their seal of accreditation."

The Joint Commission accredits and certifies more than 20,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. Joint Commission accreditation and certification is recognized nationwide as a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to meeting certain performance standards.

“Accreditation validates DaVita’s commitment to continuous quality improvement and supports the commitment of their hospital partners to quality and safety for their patients, staff and community,” said Michael Kulczycki, executive director, Ambulatory Health Care Accreditation, The Joint Commission.

DaVita nurses administer inpatient kidney care services in the hospital setting. Inpatient kidney care services performed by DaVita Hospital Services include acute hemodialysis for chronic end stage renal patients and those admitted to the hospital with acute renal failure; peritoneal dialysis for current dialysis patients as well as patients who are hospitalized with newly diagnosed kidney failure; apheresis, a therapy to remove a patient's blood and separate out certain components; ultrafiltration, a therapy that removes excess salt and water to alleviate fluid overload; and continuous renal replacement therapy, which is a slower form of dialysis performed over the course of 24 hours. To learn more about DaVita’s inpatient kidney care services, visit www.davita.com/quality.

Accreditation was based on a survey of 177 DaVita acute programs, which included Joint Commission accredited hospitals and other hospitals permitting The Joint Commission access for purposes of the survey process (a limited number of hospitals did not permit access).

DaVita and DaVita HealthCare Partners are trademarks or registered trademarks of DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

About DaVita

DaVita is the dialysis division of DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc., a Fortune 500® company that, through its operating divisions, provides a variety of health care services to patient populations throughout the United States and abroad. A leading provider of kidney care in the United States, DaVita delivers dialysis services to patients with chronic kidney failure and end stage renal disease. DaVita strives to improve patients’ quality of life by innovating clinical care, and by offering integrated treatment plans, personalized care teams and convenient health-management services. As of Dec. 31, 2012, DaVita operated or provided administrative services at 1,954 outpatient dialysis centers located in the United States serving approximately 153,000 patients. The company also operated 36 outpatient dialysis centers located in eight countries outside the United States. DaVita supports numerous programs dedicated to creating positive, sustainable change in communities around the world. The company’s leadership development initiatives and social responsibility efforts have been recognized by Fortune, Modern Healthcare, Newsweek and WorldBlu. For more information, please visit DaVita.com.

Source: DaVita

DaVita
Bianca Violante, 303-876-6614
bianca.violante@davita.com