DaVita's catheter-reduction program lowers CVC rates in hemodialysis patients

DaVita Inc. (NYSE: DVA), a leading provider of kidney care services for those diagnosed with end stage renal disease (ESRD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD), today announced that the company has made landmark progress in reducing "Day 90+" patient central venous catheter (CVC) rates, further cementing its position as the industry leader among large dialysis organizations in catheter reductions through the placement of permanent accesses.

"The success of our catheter-reduction program is a huge accomplishment for our teammates and physician partners," explains Dr. Allen R. Nissenson, DaVita's chief medical officer. "Decreasing patients' chances of infection, thrombosis, hospitalization and death are the driving forces behind this outstanding continuous quality improvement program."

In 2008, DaVita® established CathAway™, the company's seven-step program for reducing the number of hemodialysis patients with catheters. Since the inception of the program, DaVita has witnessed a 30 percent reduction in the number of "Day 90+" patients (i.e., those patients who have been dialyzing at DaVita for 90 days or more) using a catheter for dialysis access and the company is now at an all-time low catheter rate. This has been DaVita's most significant clinical initiative in the past two years.

Through DaVita's CathAway program, a multidisciplinary team including nephrologists, surgeons and clinical teammates helps patients transition from catheters to fistulas as the means of dialysis access. Kidney and hemodialysis experts consider the fistula - a surgically connected passageway between an artery and a vein that can be used as an access point for dialysis treatments - the "gold standard" access choice, and research studies have demonstrated patients with fistulas have the fewest complications, such as infections and clotting, compared to all other hemodialysis access choices.

By optimizing the access through which our patients receive dialysis, DaVita physicians and teammates have helped patients stay out of the hospital, take fewer medications, increase their quality of life and even prolong their lives.