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: The company, formerly known as Total Renal Care before becoming DaVita, is near bankruptcy and can barely make payroll when Kent Thiry is appointed as its new Chairman of the Board and CEO.
March 2000: New CEO Kent Thiry and others take over leadership duties and work to transform the company and unite its workforce through a mission-and values-based approach. Kent 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 of the company’s leaders gather to vote on the new name DaVita (an Italian phrase meaning “to give life”) and the company’s Core Values. The company is also referred to as a Village to help create a sense of community.
November 2001: “The DaVita Way” is introduced at the first national meeting, Villagewide. Hundreds of the DaVita’s employees, referred to as teammates, cross actual bridges at the conference to demonstrate their commitment to make DaVita a special place.
Early 2000s: The development of Village programs to support DaVita’s Mission, kidney care community grassroots campaigns and political advocacy begin.
2005: DaVita acquires Gambro, doubling its number of dialysis centers and symbolizing the capstone of its remarkable turnaround.
Mid-2000s: The DaVita Village makes a point to be a “Role Model for American Health Care” and to “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: International expansion of the Village begins. As of 2019, DaVita has a presence 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 acquires the company which 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.
2016: DaVita is recognized for the first time by the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) as one of only six companies in the Health Care Providers and Services Industry on the DJSI World Index.
DaVita makes strides with its green and sustainability initiatives. DaVita’s world headquarters building in Denver, Colorado, is awarded LEED Platinum Certification for Operations and Maintenance by the U.S. Green Building Council. The LEED Platinum certification is the highest recognition a building can earn from the U.S. Green Building Council.
2017: DaVita launches the Executive Inclusion Council to help create a strategy for diversity and inclusion for all of its teammates.
2018: DaVita is selected for the 2018 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI), which recognizes global organizations for their work in advancing gender equality.
Teammates help choose WE CARE service standards to deliver in every patient interaction: Welcome, Empathize, Connect, Actively listen, Respect and Encourage.
2019: After nearly 20 years of leadership, Kent announces that Javier Rodriguez, who he has worked closely with since 1999, is the new CEO of DaVita. Together as leaders, they have worked to build the Village as it stands today. Kent will remain actively involved with DaVita serving as executive chairman of the board.
In June 2019, DaVita completes the sale of DaVita Medical Group (formerly HealthCare Partners) to Optum.
Today: The Village has more than 55,000 teammates working in the U.S. and serves approximately 200,000 patients.
