DaVita is about life. We are about enriching the lives of our patients, teammates and partners, and the communities in which we operate.
To know DaVita—affectionately referred to as the Village—is to understand our history and culture. From a humble start to striving to become a pioneer in health care around the world, see how DaVita has progressed through the years.
The DaVita Timeline
Late 1990s: Formerly called Total Renal Care before becoming DaVita, the company is near bankruptcy and can barely make payroll.
March 2000: New CEO Kent Thiry and others take over leadership duties. He introduces the “Bridge” concept, saying to the leadership team, “For those of you who choose to cross the bridge, you may not know exactly what you will do differently…but if the intent is there, good things will start to happen.”
May 2000: More than 600 leaders gather to vote on the name DaVita (an Italian phrase meaning “to give life”) and the company’s Core Values.
November 2001: “The DaVita Way” is introduced at the first national meeting, Villagewide. Hundreds of teammates cross actual bridges at the conference to demonstrate their commitment to make DaVita a special place.
Early 2000s: The development of Village Programs (including DaVita University), kidney care community grassroots campaigns and political advocacy begin.
2005: DaVita acquires Gambro, doubling the number of dialysis centers and symbolizing the capstone of our remarkable turnaround.
Mid-2000s: The DaVita Village makes a point to be a “Role Model for American Health Care” and “Send Forth Ripples of Citizen Leadership.” Members of Congress begin to refer to DaVita as an example of what was needed in American health care.
2010: DaVita implements multiple voluntary quality improvement measures, including an in-house benchmarking tool and a nationally recognized vaccination program to help improve patients’ lives.
2011: Expansion of the Village overseas starts. Today we are represented in 10 countries outside of the United States.
DaVita achieves 13 consecutive years of improved clinical outcomes.
The new Vision for the Village is announced: To Build the Greatest Health Care Community the World Has Ever Seen.
2012: DaVita joins forces with HealthCare Partners, known today as DaVita Medical Group. DaVita Medical Group was founded in 1992 by a group of physicians who believed in a coordinated and patient-centered approach to high-quality care. DaVita Medical Group provides health care services for patients in California, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, New Mexico and Washington.
Today: The Village has more than 70,000 teammates and serves approximately 1.7 million patients.
