Nov. 5, 2009 (Business Wire) -- DaVita Inc. (NYSE: DVA), a leading provider of kidney care services for those diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD), in conjunction with DaVita Clinical Research®, recently delivered 43 abstracts—40 posters and three oral presentations—at this year’s American Society of Nephrology’s (ASN) Renal Week in San Diego, Calif.

The world’s largest nephrology meeting, ASN’s Renal Week serves as a platform for the nation’s leading renal health care providers to learn about new developments in the field of nephrology and CKD. More than 13,000 international nephrologists attended the 2009 Renal Week. This year, DaVita® presented research findings about topics including improving influenza vaccination rates among dialysis patients, the effect of the IMPACT™ (Incident Management of Patients, Actions Centered on Treatment) program on mortality rates among incident hemodialysis patients and the association between body fat and survival in maintenance hemodialysis patients.

“DaVita’s patient outcomes remain among the best in the industry and are unquestionably our highest priority,” said Allen R. Nissenson, MD, FACP, Chief Medical Officer for DaVita. “This commitment to diversified and high-quality clinical research is clearly evident and has translated to better long-term results and healthier patients.”

The abstracts presented, including those outlined below, demonstrate DaVita’s commitment to superior clinical outcomes and patient care.

• Improving influenza vaccination rates among dialysis patients. Based on the CDC recommendation to administer influenza vaccinations to patients with chronic medical conditions, DaVita set a goal to vaccinate 90 percent of its in-center patient population during the 2008-2009 influenza season. Intensive quality-management programs assisted with timely clinical performance reporting, and relying primarily on education and engaging both the team and the patient proved to be remarkably successful in achieving strong influenza vaccination rates in large dialysis populations.
• Effect of the IMPACT program on mortality among incident hemodialysis patients and Effect of IMPACT program on clinical indicators of incident hemodialysis patients. The IMPACT program standardizes the on-boarding process of incident patients during their first 90 days on dialysis. It is designed to reduce mortality rates among incident patients during their first three months of dialysis. The program provides a structured process and dedicated materials for patient intake, education, management and reporting. The program demonstrated a lowered incidence of mortality among incident hemodialysis patients due to focused patient care management, specifically through placing fistula access.