DaVita Inc., a leading provider of kidney care services for those diagnosed with chronic kidney failure and disease (CKD), in conjunction with DaVita Clinical Research®, today announced that company representatives will present thirteen abstracts at the National Kidney Foundation's 2009 Spring Clinical Meetings scheduled for March 25-29, 2009 in Nashville, TN. The meeting is a platform for the nation's leading renal health care providers to learn about new developments in the field of nephrology and CKD care.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020729/DAVITALOGO)

Allen R. Nissenson MD, Chief Medical Officer at DaVita says, "DaVita is continuing to lead the renal community in generating important new knowledge to improve the outcomes for patients with kidney disease. This commitment to high quality clinical research is clearly evident in the thirteen abstracts being presented at the National Kidney Foundation meeting this year."

DaVita's top ten clinical initiatives for 2009 include: striving for reduction of first-year mortality rates and reducing catheter use. At this year's National Kidney Foundation Clinical Meeting, DaVita will focus on several key research initiatives in the areas of CKD, new incident dialysis patients, and integrated pharmacy management. Highlights from these scheduled presentations will include:

  --  Improved Results in CKD Management:  Recent data reveals superior
      outcomes in the areas of CKD and mortality, anemia, incident patient
      management and phosphorus and coronary artery calcification.  DaVita
      researchers note a nearly 50 percent drop in one-year mortality in
      Detroit area, DaVita-managed CKD clinics compared to Renal Network 11
      (12.8% vs. 22.6%);
  --  Advances in Streamlining the Patient Onboarding Process:  Data on
      DaVita's IMPACT™ (Incident Management of Patients, Actions Centered
      on Treatment) program - a pilot project implemented in 44 DaVita
      centers around the nation focusing on patient education and important
      clinical outcomes - demonstrates how this comprehensive approach
      reduces mortality of incident patients.  Results showed a reduction in
      90-day mortality nearly two percentage points lower (6.14% vs. 7.98%)
      among IMPACT versus nonIMPACT patients; and
  --  Integrated Pharmacy Management Impacts Clinical Outcomes:  DaVita
      Rx(sm) pharmacy program removes common access barriers for patients,
      such as transportation and access to the medications they require. 
      Researchers observed significantly improved clinical outcomes in
      DaVita Rx patients compared to non-DaVita Rx patients.

In addition to DaVita's research initiatives on CKD, IMPACT and DaVita Rx, the following is a complete list of abstracts scheduled for presentation:

    -- Title:  First Year Dialysis Mortality in Patients Previously Enrolled
       in a Structured Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Program
       Authors:  Joel M. Topf(1), Robert Provenzano(2), Steve Wilson(3),
       Ajay Chokshi(3) and Amy Bogan(3)

       (1)St. John Hospital & Medical Center, Detroit, Michigan,(2)Office of
       the Chief Medical Officer, DaVita Inc., El Segundo, CA, (3)DaVita
       Inc., El Segundo, CA

    -- Title:  Analysis of Potassium Profiles Among Hemodialysis (HD)
       Patients
       Authors:  John Robertson, Debbie Benner, Ronald Levine
       DaVita Inc., El Segundo, CA

    -- Title:  Day-To Day, Week-To-Week, and Day-Of-Week Variation in Tests
       of Anemia and Iron Status in Hemodialysis Patients
       Authors:  David B. Van Wyck(1), Harry Alcorn(1), Resmi Gupta(2)

       (1)DaVita, Inc., El Segundo, CA, (2)Vital Systems, Inc.,
       Schaumburg,IL

    -- Title:  Benefit of Using Visual Teaching Tools for Phosphorus Control
       in Hemodialysis Unit
       Authors:  Carol Allen
       DaVita Inc., Selma, CA

    -- Title:  Binder Consumption as a Function of Time: A Linear Model for
       Lowering Elevated Phosphorus Levels by Improving Binder Timing
       Authors:  Mark A. Livingston
       DaVita Inc., Warren, MI

    -- Title:  Mortality of 5-Year Time-Averaged Low Serum Calcium <8.5
       mg/dL in Subgroups of Hemodialysis (HD) Patients
       Authors:  Jessica E Miller(1), Elani Streja(1), Csaba P Kovesdy(2),
       David Van Wyck(3), Allen R. Nissenson(3), and Kamyar Kalantar-
       Zadeh(1)

       (1)Harold Simmons Center for Kidney Disease Research and
       Epidemiology, LABioMed at Harbor-UCLA, Torrance, CA; (2)Salem VA
       Medical Center, Salem, VA; and (3)DaVita Inc, El Segundo, CA

    -- Title:  Association of Serum Alkaline Phosphatase and Coronary Artery
       Calcification in Hemodialysis Patients
       Authors:  Ronney Shantouf(1), Mehdi Rambod(1), Csaba P Kovesdy(2),
       Naser Ahmadi(1), Allen R. Nissenson(3), Matthew J Budoff(1), and
       Kamyar Kalantar-Zadeh(1)

       (1)Harold Simmons Center for Kidney Disease Research and
       Epidemiology, LABioMed at Harbor-UCLA, Torrance, CA; (2)Salem VA
       Medical Center, Salem, VA; and (3)DaVita Inc, El Segundo, CA

    -- Title:  Mortality-Predictability of Weight Gain vs Weight Loss Over 6
       Months in Maintenance Hemodialysis (MHD) Patients
       Authors:  Kamyar Kalantar-Zadeh(1), Elani Streja(1), Csaba P
       Kovesdy(2), Allen R. Nissenson(3), and Joel D Kopple(1)

       (1)Harold Simmons Center for Kidney Disease Research and
       Epidemiology, LABioMed at Harbor-UCLA, Torrance, CA; (2)Salem VA
       Medical Center, Salem, VA; (3)DaVita Inc, El Segundo, CA

    -- Title:  Improved Outcomes Post Enrollment in High Touch, Tailored
       Pharmacy--Meeting the Patients' Need
       Authors:  Maricela Lara-Nevarez(1), Meredith Mathews(1), Chad
       Lennox(2)

       (1)DaVita Inc., El Segundo, CA (2)Dialysis Patient Citizens,
       Washington, DC

    -- Title:  Characteristics and Clinical Outcomes of US Pediatric
       Dialysis Patients at A Large Dialysis Provider
       Authors:  Allen R. Nissenson, Joe Weldon, and Joan Fieldhouse
       DaVita Inc., El Segundo, CA

    -- Title:  Incident Management of Hemodialysis Patients: Managing the
       First 90 Days
       Authors:  John Robertson, Pooja Goel, Grace Chen, Ronald Levine,
       Debbie Benner, and Amy Burdan
       DaVita Inc., El Segundo, CA

    -- Title:  Body Mass Index (BMI) and Survival in Polycystic Kidney
       Disease (PKD) Hemodialysis (HD) Patients
       Authors:  Elani Streja(1), Csaba P Kovesdy(2), Jenni Jing(1), Allen
       R. Nissenson(3), and Kamyar Kalantar-Zadeh(1)

       (1)Harold Simmons Center for Kidney Disease Research and
       Epidemiology, LABioMed at Harbor-UCLA, Torrance, CA; (2)Salem VA
       Medical Center, Salem, VA; (3)DaVita Inc., El Segundo, CA

    -- Title:  Comparing Death Risk of Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD)
       Hemodialysis (HD) Patients to Non-PKD HD Patients
       Authors:  Elani Streja(1), Allen R. Nissenson(3), David VanWyck(3),
       Csaba P Kovesdy(2), and Kamyar Kalantar- Zadeh(1)

       (1)Harold Simmons Center & Cardiology, LABioMed at Harbor-UCLA,
       Torrance, CA; (2)Salem VA Medical Center, Salem, VA; (3)DaVita Inc.,
       El Segundo, CA

DaVita, IMPACT and DaVita Rx are trademarks or registered trademarks of DaVita Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

About DaVita Inc.

DaVita Inc., a FORTUNE 500® company, is a leading provider of kidney care in the United States, providing dialysis services and education for patients with chronic kidney failure and end stage renal disease. DaVita manages more than 1,400 outpatient facilities and acute units in more than 700 hospitals located in 43 states and the District of Columbia, serving approximately 110,000 patients. As part of DaVita's commitment to building a healthy, caring community, DaVita develops, participates in and donates to numerous programs dedicated to transforming communities and creating positive, sustainable change for children, families and our environment. For more information about DaVita, its kidney education materials and its community programs, please visit www.davita.com.

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SOURCE: DaVita Inc.