title: Out of their comfort zone. Dialysis provider DaVita needs to integrate big physician practice to move toward integrated care.
abstract: DaVita's acquisition of multispecialty group HealthCare Partners hasn't come without growing pains. But the deal has put the dialysis provider in a position to go beyond kidneys to serving the whole patient. The goal of the merger, says DaVita Co-chairman and CEO Kent Thiry, left, is to prepare for a time when DaVita is expected not only to provide dialysis, but also help keep nephrology patients out of the hospital and manage their other chronic conditions.
authors.forename: Beth
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kutscher
mesh_terms: D060866:Accountable Care Organizations; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D006123:Group Practice; D006273:Health Facility Merger; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000191:economics; D006278:Medicare / Q000191:economics; D017146:Models, Organizational; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States