DENVER, Feb. 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- DaVita Kidney Care, a division of DaVita Inc. (NYSE: DVA) and a leading provider of kidney care services, today announced that it ranked first in outcomes for the fourth year in a row in a recently released report issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) end stage renal disease (ESRD) Quality Incentive Program (QIP).

"These results are a byproduct of our team's passion and dedication to our patients," said Javier Rodriguez, president and CEO of DaVita Kidney Care.

The ESRD QIP reduces payments to ESRD centers that do not meet or exceed CMS-endorsed performance standards. DaVita outperformed the rest of the industry combined, with only 11 percent of centers receiving penalties versus 23 percent for the rest of the industry.

In addition, DaVita had the highest average total performance score among large dialysis organizations, which are organizations that have at least 200 dialysis centers in the U.S.

"Clinical quality is our first priority at DaVita, as patients trust in us to work with their doctors to provide the very best care," said Allen R. Nissenson, M.D., FACP, chief medical officer of DaVita Kidney Care. "We will build on this four-year record of clinical excellence as we design and execute our quality programs in 2017."

QIP is part of Medicare's ESRD program aimed at improving the quality of care provided to Medicare patients. It was designed and passed into law in part to be the nation's first pay-for-performance quality incentive program. CMS describes QIP as a "first-of-its-kind program [that] provides the ESRD community with the opportunity to enhance the overall quality of care that ESRD patients receive as they battle this devastating disease."

DaVita announced in October 2016 that it also outperformed the rest of the industry for the third straight year in the CMS Five-Star Quality Rating System, a separate system that rates dialysis centers based on clinical performance and patient outcomes.

The full ESRD QIP reports can be downloaded at CMS.gov.

About DaVita Kidney Care
DaVita Kidney Care is a division of DaVita 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 dialysis services in the United States, DaVita Kidney Care treats patients with chronic kidney failure and end stage renal disease. DaVita Kidney Care 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, 2016, DaVita Kidney Care operated or provided administrative services at 2,318 outpatient dialysis centers located in the United States serving approximately 186,000 patients. The company also operated 139 outpatient dialysis centers located in 11 countries outside the United States. DaVita Kidney Care 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/About.

DaVita is a registered trademark of DaVita Inc.

Contact Information
Media:
Ashley Henson
(303) 876-6626
ashley.henson@davita.com  

SOURCE DaVita Kidney Care