DaVita Appoints Chief Medical Officer for Integrated Kidney Care

DENVER, Feb. 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- DaVita Inc. (NYSE: DVA), a leading independent medical group in America and leading provider of kidney care services, has selected Bryan Becker, M.D., MMM, FACP, CPE as chief medical officer of VillageHealth, a subsidiary of DaVita specializing in integrated kidney care and renal population health management.

Dr. Becker will provide clinical leadership to the company's integrated kidney care programs, which coordinate care for patients with late-stage chronic kidney disease and end stage renal disease. Care is coordinated before and during the transition to dialysis or transplant, then inside and outside of the dialysis center to achieve better clinical outcomes and improve patient quality of life.

In addition to potential clinical benefits, integrated care may translate into significant cost savings for the greater health care system—including payors, providers, taxpayers and, ultimately, patients. Dr. Becker hopes to lead his team in striking the balance between delivering the fundamentals of exceptional care and innovation in order to build efficiencies in the right places to improve patient outcomes and drive down the overall cost of care.

"It's imperative to make a clear case for the benefits of care coordination to patients and physicians as our health care system evolves," said Dr. Becker. "The VillageHealth team has been a leader in this effort, and I'm looking forward to continuing to partner with medical directors and operational leaders to offer programs that achieve those ends."

Dr. Becker, formerly the vice president of integrated care and member of DaVita Kidney Care's Office of the Chief Medical Officer (OCMO), accepted this position as Dr. Stephen McMurray, M.D., FACP, fellow vice president of integrated care and member of OCMO, transitioned to a part-time role to free up time to pursue other interests. In Dr. McMurray's part-time role, he will continue to focus on both innovation in integrated care and supporting key customer relationships.

"Dr. McMurray's immense contributions to our integrated kidney care programs resulted in significant improvements in patient outcomes and a much larger portfolio for integrated patient care," said Allen R. Nissenson, M.D., FACP, chief medical officer for DaVita Kidney Care. "Dr. Becker is the right person to build on this success and add focus and value from his rich experience in this area."

Prior to working with DaVita, Dr. Becker led the nephrology group at the University of Wisconsin where he assisted in developing Wisconsin Dialysis, Inc. and was president of the University of Chicago Medicine Care Network, comprising over 1,000 physicians. He also held the position of vice president of clinical integration and associate dean for clinical affairs at the University of Chicago Medicine.

To learn more about the DaVita physician leadership team, visit DaVita.com/physicians. To learn more about VillageHealth's integrated kidney care programs, visit VillageHealth.com.

About DaVita Inc.  
DaVita Inc., a Fortune 500® company, is the parent company of DaVita Kidney Care and HealthCare Partners. 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 December 31, 2016, DaVita Kidney Care operated or provided administrative services at 2,350 outpatient dialysis centers located in the United States serving approximately 188,000 patients. The company also operated 154 outpatient dialysis centers located in 11 countries outside the United States. HealthCare Partners, a DaVita Medical Group, manages and operates medical groups and affiliated physician networks in California, Nevada, New Mexico, Florida, Colorado and Washington in its pursuit to deliver excellent-quality health care in a dignified and compassionate manner. As of December 31, 2016, HealthCare Partners provided integrated care management for approximately 749,000 patients. For more information, please visit DaVita.com/about.

Contact Information
Media:
Ashley Henson
(303) 876-6626
[email protected]      

SOURCE DaVita Inc.

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