PHILADELPHIA, Nov 10, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- DaVita Inc. (NYSE: DVA), a leading provider of kidney care services committed to improving the quality of life for those diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD), today announced the presentation of 11 studies at this year's American Society of Nephrology's (ASN) Kidney Week. DaVita® will be at booth 1801 during the November 8-13 meeting in Philadelphia.

ASN's Kidney Week is the world's premier nephrology meeting and serves as a platform for more than 13,000 kidney professionals from around the globe to exchange knowledge, learn the latest scientific and medical advances, and listen to leading experts in the field.

DaVita Chief Medical Officer Allen R. Nissenson, M.D., noted, "At this year's ASN meeting study results from innovative clinical improvement programs and health economic analyses will be presented by DaVita researchers and its research partners."

A major focus for abstracts this year is the unique ability of an integrated care model to drive significant improvements in patient outcomes. One such abstract, by Rizkalla, et al, is titled the "Effect of an Integrated Care Delivery System on Improving Immunization Outcomes." The study demonstrated dramatic improvement in annual vaccination rates within a large population of dialysis patients. This is especially important given the direct correlation between improved vaccination rates and reduced patient morbidity.

Similarly, results of an analysis of DaVita's CathAway(TM) program - designed to transition patients from central venous catheters (CVCs) to arteriovenous fistulas - will be presented by Glowalla, et al, in the poster "Improvements in Clinical and Operational Outcomes for a Cohort of Patients Converted from Central Venous Catheter Access." This study demonstrates that transitioning patients off of their CVCs and optimizing patients' mode of vascular access improves the patient outcomes and reduces the use of agents required to keep CVCs patent.

Van Wyck, et al, will present a study titled the "Clinical Utility of Tests for Hepatitis C Surveillance." Although KDIGO®, KDOQI, and CDC recommendations each specify screening seronegative patients every 6-12 months for the surveillance of HCV infection in HD facilities, the clinical utility of recommended tests has not been examined in large populations. They found evidence that reactivity in HCV screening antibody assays wanes of fluctuates in HCV-positive patients. The findings suggest that when expected seroconversion rates are low, HCV surveillance in seronegative patients should be conducted no more frequently than annually, and new positive screening results in HD patients should be interpreted with caution and should undergo case-by-case clinical adjudication.

DaVita and CathAway are registered trademarks of DaVita Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

About DaVita

DaVita Inc., a Fortune 500® company, is a leading provider of kidney care in the United States, delivering 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 September 30, 2011, DaVita operated or provided administrative services at 1,777 dialysis facilities, serving approximately 138,000 patients. 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 www.davita.com.

SOURCE: DaVita

DaVita
Vince Hancock, 303-405-2272
Vince.hancock@davita.com