DaVita Inc. , today announced that it has been selected by Training magazine as one of the Training Top 100.

The Training Top 100 award recognizes DaVita's commitment to learning and performance improvement. The awards are given to companies who foster their people's learning, development, and relationships within the company. They encourage the pooling and sharing of knowledge, not only for the betterment of the company, but for the betterment of the individual.

"One of the keys to DaVita's success is our unique training and education curriculum for all teammates," explains DaVita CEO Kent Thiry. Continuing education programs are taught by "DaVita University" and focus on raising performance levels, enhancing caregiving skills, and advancing careers. The results of the training are dramatic, reducing employee attrition to 12% among attendees vs. 23% among nonattendees. Key DaVita University classes include:

  -- DaVita Academy -- DaVita corporate and clinical teammates work together
     in this two-day workshop that teaches leadership, teamwork and
     professional competency.
  -- Administrator University -- In comparison to the three-day learning
     modules of other providers, DaVita features a six-day program to enrich
     the business management skills of facility administrators.
  -- DaVita Way of Teams -- Offered at either a regional or unit level, this
     program teaches teambuilding with a special emphasis on building shared
     accountability for both clinical and operational outcomes.

DaVita is the largest independent provider of dialysis services in the United States, with more than 650 affiliated dialysis facilities and more than 53,000 patients. DaVita has received the 2005 "Leadership in Innovation" Award by the Adaptive Business Leaders (ABL) Organization, the California Governor's "Exemplary Employer of Older Workers" award and the AARP award for best employer of workers over age 50. Thiry has been a frequent speaker on creating a value-based culture.

SOURCE: DaVita Inc.