DENVER, May 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its continued efforts to further transform patient care, DaVita today unveiled DaVita Venture Group (DVG). This group plans to accelerate DaVita's efforts to develop and deploy solutions that are designed to improve the health care and quality of life for people with kidney disease and related chronic conditions.

"Innovation should never stop when there is an opportunity to improve patient care," said Javier Rodriguez, CEO of DaVita. "We want to transform kidney health – from chronic kidney disease to transplant – and we're putting financial and strategic resources into these solutions. We believe we can be the partner of choice for entrepreneurs who want to bring best in class technology and innovations to market."

For more than 20 years, DaVita has been a leader in creating innovative, patient-centric care models that utilize the latest technology designed to improve quality of life. Leveraging its broad expertise, DVG identifies companies and products for strategic partnerships, venture investment opportunities, and to incubate transformative solutions. The group's focus includes innovation in digital health, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and care delivery models. DVG contributes clinical and operational knowledge and seeks to collaborate with other entities to develop, test and bring new technologies to market.

"DaVita Venture Group aims to find new solutions for our patients that go beyond dialysis," said Steve Phillips, vice president of innovation for DVG. "We're excited to fund select venture capital investments in early stage companies, which will have the potential to drive innovation over time."

Bringing patient-centered chronic care to scale requires reimagining health care as it exists today. A typical patient with end-stage kidney disease is high-risk and high-need. They often have four or more comorbidities and spend approximately 11 days in the hospital each year. With a focus on broadening innovation across the continuum, DVG aims to expand access to care and improve clinical outcomes while also increasing the adoption of value-based care to reduce costs.

"This is an exciting time in health care as entrepreneurs, researchers and industry leaders envision solutions that could change care delivery for the better," stated Mahesh Krishnan, group vice president of research and development for DVG. "We believe we can help drive that change, and that DaVita Venture Group is a great incubator to help advance these solutions to market."

About DaVita Inc. 
DaVita (NYSE: DVA) is a health care provider focused on transforming care delivery to improve quality of life for patients globally. The company is one of the largest providers of kidney care services in the U.S. and has been a leader in clinical quality and innovation for more than 20 years. Through DaVita Kidney Care, the company treats patients with chronic kidney failure and end stage kidney disease. DaVita is committed to bold, patient-centric care models, implementing the latest technologies and moving toward integrated care offerings for all. Through these efforts, DaVita has also become the largest provider of home dialysis in the country. As of December 31, 2019, DaVita served 206,900 patients at 2,753 outpatient dialysis centers in the United States. The company also operated 259 outpatient dialysis centers in ten countries worldwide. DaVita has reduced hospitalizations, improved mortality, and worked collaboratively to propel the kidney care industry to adopt an equitable and high-quality standard of care for all patients, everywhere. To learn more, visit DaVita.com/About.

Forward-Looking Statements
All statements in this release, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and as such are intended to be covered by the safe harbor for "forward-looking statements" provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on DaVita's current expectations and are based solely on information available as of the date of this release. DaVita undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of changed circumstances, new information, future events or otherwise. Actual future events and results could differ materially from any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those described in the risk factors set forth in DaVita Inc.'s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, and the risks and uncertainties discussed in any subsequent reports that DaVita files or furnishes with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time.

Contact Information
Media:
Halie Peddle
(303) 550-6349
Halie.Peddle@DaVita.com 

SOURCE DaVita