DENVER, April 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- DaVita Kidney Care, a division of DaVita Inc. (NYSE: DVA), a leading provider of kidney care services in the United States, today introduced its multi-media kidney transplant education resource, Transplant Smart, which is available to its patients.

"At DaVita, we want as many of our patients as possible to qualify for a kidney transplant," said Bryan Becker, M.D., chief medical officer for DaVita Integrated Kidney Care. "Transplant Smart is grounded in our belief that all patients—regardless of their age, race, health conditions or insurance status—deserve the best education and support on their transplantation journey. It is part of our overarching mission of helping patients achieve their best health-related quality of life."

Transplant Smart is a comprehensive education and support program that includes:

• Motivating peer-to-peer videos intended to help patients learn from others who were once in their position. Topics include everything from "Why transplant?" to "How to find a living donor."
• Compelling animated videos created to inform patients and their loved ones about what to expect during each key step of the transplant process to help reduce their anxiety and increase their confidence.
• An illustrated handbook designed to educate DaVita patients about transplant and help them stay organized during their transplant journey.
• Enhanced guidance and support from a social worker throughout the journey.

The average wait time for an individual's first kidney transplant is 3.6 years and can vary depending on health, compatibility and availability of donor organs. As of April 15, there are 102, 900 people on the kidney transplant waiting list. Transplant Smart plays an important role in helping keep patients on track and motivated while on the waitlist.

"I've hesitated to commit to a kidney transplant because I'm worried about the surgery," said Robert Prentice, a current patient at DaVita Boettler Dialysis, who was able to preview the Transplant Smart patient videos. "Understanding that people like me with similar fears still went through with the process—and are happier because of it—motivated me to open up to my dialysis social worker and with my family and to take the next step."   

DaVita's new patient education already has received accolades for its innovation, design and simplicity with awards from AVA Digital, Digital Health and Clearmark.

DaVita plans to continue to invest in expanding Transplant Smart offerings to help more patients pursue and receive life-changing kidney transplants. Additionally, DaVita has expanded its emphasis on transplant education within its Kidney Smart^® program, a no-cost chronic kidney disease education resource that is open to the community. Kidney Smart, which has educated more than 165,000 participants since 2012, now offers pre-emptive transplant education and will also offer post-class text messages with additional transplant education later this year. DaVita patients who have attended a Kidney Smart class have had 30 percent fewer hospitalizations and 38 percent fewer missed treatments in their first 90 days on dialysis and are six times more likely to start dialysis on a home modality.

In 2018, DaVita launched its Transplant Waitlist Support Program, a technology-enabled solution to help keep patients active on the waitlist at partnering transplant centers through proactively and electronically updating important patient data. The program helps patients to stay on top of their overall health, dialysis treatments and administrative requirements while they await a transplant so when a donor kidney becomes available, they are prepared and eligible.

To access the other educational resources about kidney transplantation, visit DaVita.com/Transplants. 

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 December 31, 2018, DaVita Kidney Care operated or provided administrative services at 2,664 outpatient dialysis centers located in the United States serving approximately 203,000 patients. The company also operated 241 outpatient dialysis centers located in 9 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.

Contact Information

Media:
Ashley Henson
Ashley.Henson@DaVita.com 
(303) 876-6626

SOURCE DaVita Kidney Care