DENVER, June 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- DaVita Inc. (NYSE: DVA), a leading independent medical group and a leading, global provider of kidney care services, today announced it has formalized a new business, DaVita Health Solutions, to help care for the highest-risk, most clinically complex patients in the U.S.

"We care for thousands of patients who suffer from multiple chronic conditions, experience frequent hospitalizations and require a fundamentally different care model," said Kent Thiry, chairman and CEO for DaVita. "While so many other companies are focused on solving one part of the problem, whether it be a single disease state like diabetes, palliative care or post-acute care alone, we now have an opportunity to deliver a comprehensive solution that is meant to better address what a patient with multiple chronic conditions needs to help optimize their care."

The DaVita Health Solutions care model expands primary care outside of the traditional doctor's office setting to meet patients when and where they need care most – in the home, at a post-acute skilled nursing facility (SNF), or within a dialysis center for patients who suffer from end stage renal disease (ESRD).

DaVita Health Solutions offers a comprehensive care suite that includes:

• "House calls," meeting patients where they are: A physician-led program that provides primary care, behavioral health, palliative care, comprehensive wellness visits and complementary health care services to patients and their caregivers within the patient's home.
• Smoother transitions back home to families: A post-acute care program with employed SNFists who help patients experience smoother transitions home from a skilled nursing facility so they can spend more quality time with loved ones and may avoid return visits to the hospital.
• A dialysis center as the medical home: An integrated kidney care program that treats ESRD patients where they spend 12-15 hours per week and coordinates their care across doctors and specialists.
• 24x7 support and coordinated care: A physician-led, interdisciplinary clinical care team comprised of physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, behavioral health and palliative care specialists, social workers, pharmacists and dietitians.

"DaVita has a history of changing the way that health care is delivered," said Dr. Dinesh Kumar, senior vice president of DaVita Health Solutions. "Over 15 years, our comprehensive care programs in the patient's home, SNF and dialysis center have resulted in 30-40 percent fewer hospitalizations and a 50 percent reduction in SNF length of stay and readmission rate. As a result, our patients are able to spend more time at home with their families experiencing life's great joys."

To learn more about DaVita Health Solutions, how it may impact your members or loved ones, visit www.davitahealthsolutions.com. 

About DaVita Health Solutions
DaVita Health Solutions is a subsidiary of DaVita Inc., a Fortune 500 company and leading provider of integrated health and kidney care services. DaVita Health Solutions offers payors and risk-bearing organizations a suite of home- and outpatient-based care programs to address the needs of their high-risk, medically complex patient populations. Its programs include physician-led house calls that extend primary care into the home with a heavy focus on palliative care and behavioral health, advanced post-acute care with employed SNFists, and integrated kidney care.

DaVita Health Solutions leverages more than 15 years of experience in managing high-risk patients under at-risk and shared savings arrangements.  Through its medical group, DaVita currently operates house calls programs that serve more than 12,000 patients in five markets, in partnership with 4,000 independent and employed primary care physicians. Through its integrated kidney care division, DaVita manages the total care for more than 20,000 renal patients, of which nearly 7,000 are under at-risk arrangements, in 16 markets and several national programs.  

About DaVita Inc.
DaVita Inc., a Fortune 500® company, is the parent company of DaVita Kidney Care and DaVita Medical Group. DaVita Kidney Care 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. As of March 31, 2017, DaVita Kidney Care operated or provided administrative services at 2,382 outpatient dialysis centers located in the United States serving approximately 189,400 patients. The company also operated 162 outpatient dialysis centers located in 11 countries outside the United States. DaVita Medical Group manages and operates medical groups and affiliated physician networks in California, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Washington in its pursuit to deliver excellent-quality health care in a dignified and compassionate manner. As of December 31, 2016, DaVita Medical Group's teammates, employed clinicians and affiliated clinicians provided care for approximately 1.7 million patients. For more information, please visit DaVita.com/about.

Media contact:
Kate Stabrawa
Kate.stabrawa@davita.com 
720-318-4080

SOURCE DaVita Inc.