DaVita Physician Solutions Makes Its First Big Investment in New Technology from Epic

Collaboration aims to enable physicians to transform CKD patient care through elevated EHR

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Jan 11, 2018, 12:15 ET

DENVER, Jan. 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- DaVita Inc. (NYSE: DVA), a leading provider of kidney care services in the United States and in 11 countries around the world, today announced its partnership with Epic, the most widely used electronic health record (EHR), that will enhance and grow technological capabilities within DaVita Physician Solutions' chronic kidney disease (CKD) EHR platform.

"Our goal is to create technology solutions for physicians that are easy to use and are efficient in providing the right data at the right time to improve quality outcomes," said Derek Schoonover, vice president of physician experience and DaVita Physician Solutions for DaVita Kidney Care. "DaVita, known for its clinical expertise in kidney care, coupled with Epic's robust technologies will create a superior CKD EHR platform."

Effectively managing patients with CKD is critical to ensuring a healthy transition to dialysis, should a patient's condition progress to end stage renal disease. Nearly 80 percent of patients who make an unprepared transition to dialysis start with a central venous catheter as their access for treatment, which is associated with higher infection and mortality rates. Poor transition management is also costly—just the first month post-transition can cost the health care system $35,000 per patient. This is why DaVita and Epic are setting out to do it better, together.

"With Epic as its backbone, DaVita joins the community of connected organizations that covers almost two-thirds of Americans nationwide. CKD and end stage renal disease are major drivers of cost and coordination is critical. By leveraging Care Everywhere interoperability, DaVita will not only be able to collaborate, but also to provide the Epic community with information and insights to help reduce costs and facilitate care," said Alan Hutchison, vice president of Population Health at Epic.

With the number of ESRD patients on dialysis expected to double to 850,000 in the next decade, focusing on enabling physicians to use technology for healthy transitions is important.

"The needs of our users and the demands of the health care IT ecosystem have changed, as has the growing need of patients," said Adam Weinstein, MD and vice president of medical affairs with clinical IT services for DaVita Kidney Care. "We are evolving and differentiating, and our software must continue to support interoperability and discrete data collection, while still meeting all of the necessary documentation demands of our users and our patients."

DaVita Physician Solutions will be taking the next step in its evolution with Epic over the next 18 to 24 months. Existing Falcon Platinum customers will be offered a migration path to the new solution software for office-based CKD care, which is DaVita CKD EHR.

To learn more about DaVita Physician Solutions' nephrology-specific technology, visit DaVitaPhysicianSolutions.com/Solutions/CKD-EHR.

About DaVita Physician Solutions
DaVita Physician Solutions was created and perfected through an affiliation with DaVita Kidney Care. Born out of a vision to support physicians, DaVita Physician Solutions meets the demands and unique challenges physicians face when caring for patients with complex conditions. DaVita Physician Solutions tools support physicians as they navigate the ever-changing health care landscape. To learn more about DaVita Physician Solutions, please visit DaVitaPhysicianSolutions.com.

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 September 30, 2017, DaVita Kidney Care operated or provided administrative services at 2,470 outpatient dialysis centers located in the United States serving approximately 196,000 patients. The company also operated 230 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. 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.