VILLA by DaVita

[Meinuk]

 

So, do you think that they will accept Medicare? Anyone using these units?  Sounds great!  I wonder how much they cost per treatment!  And what is the monthly "members fee"?

http://www.davita.com/villa/villa_faq.cfm

FAQs

What is a Villa?
Villa by DaVita is a more intimate version of our traditional dialysis centers. Patients are able to dialyze in a serene, spa-like environment, with options for private, semi-private and community treatment areas.

Amenities available for patients include flexible scheduling for treatment times, WiFi, premium cable, specialty complimentary beverage services, heated blankets and more. These services do require a nominal membership fee per month.

In addition, a Villa Coordinator is on site to coordinate pay-for-fee services while you dialyze. These services, which are performed by our community business partners, may include dry cleaning, oil changes and other light auto maintenance.

Why are we opening Villa by DaVita?
The “errand-saving” services and flexible scheduling offered at a Villa by DaVita will help meet the needs of patients with busy lifestyles who want to retain their independence and/or their jobs while keeping their dialysis appointment schedules. For patients who work full-time, helping them keep their jobs equates to helping them keep their health insurance. This limits financial hardships and helps improve our patients’ sense of well-being and overall quality of life.

A Villa can also be a good setting in which to introduce new dialysis patients to alternative home modalities.

We know there is a demand for smaller dialysis centers with emphasis on customer service, and we think Villa by DaVita will meet this demand.

What is different about Villa by DaVita?
The spa-like environment, flexible scheduling and helpful Villa Coordinator who can schedule additional services are elements that set Villa by DaVita apart. What isn’t different is the standard of dialysis care. The same high standards in quality of care are available at all DaVita dialysis centers and each Villa by DaVita.

How small is a Villa and why?
The typical Villa will have six chairs. Other dialysis companies have already opened small-to-medium-sized clinics around the country to attract the patient with a busy lifestyle, especially working patients who need and/or want the smaller environment (translation: PRIVATE INSURANCE), extra non-medical services and the more aesthetically pleasing interior as opposed to the more clinical-looking environment of typical dialysis centers. Villa by DaVita represents DaVita’s entry into this niche market.

What kind of services will Villa by DaVita offer?
Services will vary by location, but may include dry cleaning, oil changes and select spa services. See the Menu of Services offered in each Villa.

What is flexible patient scheduling?
Flexible scheduling offers patients the chance to “run late” and still dialyze for their entire prescribed treatment time. They may also reschedule their appointment altogether if necessary.

What will the membership fee be? Will the membership fee be monthly?
Please contact your Villa Coordinator to determine your monthly membership fee.

Will DaVita be responsible if the dry cleaning or auto service is not right (liable for service)?
Because these services are provided by local businesses on a pay-for-service basis, DaVita cannot be held responsible for the services provided. [ MEINUK NOTE: hahahahahahahah - I know that they are talking about amenities, but seriusly, when has DaVita EVER taken responsibility? it is always "rogue Staff"] Of course, DaVita will only partner with reputable local businesses, and we do test runs with all new vendors and continuously review existing vendors.

When will Villa by DaVita be opening?
Villa by DaVita is currently opening centers in Cleveland and St. Louis, and arranging to open more in select cities.

Is there a Villa opening near me? How many are there?
Villa by DaVita is opening its first location in the St. Charles County area.

Villa of St. John by DaVita
9030 St. Charles Rock Road
St. John, MO 63114

Villa of Waterbury by DaVita
929 Waterbury Falls Drive
O’Fallon, MO 63368

Villa of Wentzville by DaVita
1126 W. Pearce Blvd., Ste. 118
Wentzville, MO 63385

Villa of Great Northern by DaVita
22710 Fairview Center Drive
Fairview Park, OH 44126

Villa of Fairview Park
19050 Lorain Road
Fairview Park, OH 44126

Villa of North Ridgeville
35143 Center Ridge Road
North Ridgeville, OH 44039

Future Villa locations will be opening in early 2010:

Villa of Fairview Park, OH
Villa of North Ridgeville, OH
Villa of Lakewood, OH

Patients interested in dialyzing at a Villa by DaVita center should call:
1-877-778-4552 St. Louis area
1-866-773-7448 Cleveland area

Which patients may receive treatment at a Villa by DaVita?
Any patient who pays the monthly membership fee has access to a Villa. Villa by DaVita is not for everyone, and it is important to note that the same high standards in quality of care are available at all DaVita centers and each Villa by DaVita.

Can other patients transfer in?
Any patient who pays the membership fee may have access to a Villa by DaVita.

Will PD or HHD be offered?
Modality options will vary by Villa, but patient-centric care and treatment choices will remain a priority for every DaVita center.

How will each Villa by DaVita be staffed?
Each will be fully staffed with an RN, PCT, Social Worker, Dietitian and Villa Coordinator (to arrange services).

What will the staffing ratio be?
As there will be flexible patient scheduling, it is not possible to cite a specific teammate-patient ratio. There will, however, be at least two or three teammates at a Villa at all times. At no time will a Villa fall below minimum state regulations on staffing.

What are the hours of operation?
Hours of operation will be dependent on the need of the patients. Generally they will be 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. with flexibility to start earlier or stay later as needed.

On a related note:  Just in case you were wondering how rich you can get as a really, really good dialysis provider:

http://www.gurufocus.com/news.php?id=123444

Davita Inc. (DVA) Chairman & Chief Exec. Officer Kent J Thiry sells 40,938 Shares
Chairman & Chief Exec. Officer of Davita Inc. (DVA) Kent J Thiry sells 40,938 shares of DVA on 02/18/2011 at an average price of $79.55 a share.
[I'll do the math for you $3,213,660.90 this is in addition to the $5 MILLION that he cashed in last fall (2010)]


Davita Inc. has a market cap of $7.61 billion; its shares were traded at around $78.31 with a P/E ratio of 17.9 and P/S ratio of 1.2. Davita Inc. had an annual average earning growth of 23.5% over the past 10 years.

My takeaway from this:  Dialysis is GREAT!  everybody will get dry cleaning and live shiny happy lives.  The provider is making HUGE Profits, and all of the patients are thrilled that they have such luxurious treatment options.

Dialysis in a SPA!  Fantastic!

 

Sorry to splash cold water on your hopes... here is the (slightly misfocused, but closer to) truth about dialysis in a for-profit center:

http://www.propublica.org/article/in-dialysis-life-saving-care-at-great-risk-and-cost

Much has been written here about the Propublica investigation.  It is slightly biased, but then again, what else can we use to counteract the blatant profiteering and marketing/Lobbying campaign of DaVita et al?

I am the first person to say that we have to work WITH the industry to make it better, and we do - but it is on mornings like this when I just throw up my hands and say UGH. Your techs don't know about the big business of DaVita.  (They aren't being paid Ken't's money) Your FA's may not even know what they are perpetuating the profiteering.  Your nurses are stressed, overworked and underpaid.  But these companies are making a huge amount of money by operating this way.

Educate, educate,educate.  Talk to staff members and let them know what resources are out there for better dialysis. Educate yourself and try to get the best possible care that you can get. Remember, even if you do get to dialyize in a Villa, you will still only get MINIMUM Dialysis (I know, they promise home modalities above... but will they actually do it?  or is it just verbiage?).  You'll be sick, but comfortable.

If only DaVita could have made these Nocturnal units. Or self care units, or something to make people healthier.  Instead, they are simply adding fluff to the 3x a week business model. That makes me sad.


Now for the reality. 

We don't need Villas.

We Need:
Better dialysis.  Access to Nocturnal, Daily in center, Home Hemo, Peritoneal and Transplant.

We don't need Dialysis Spas.

We need:
Better trained Staff.
More Staff.
Better paid Staff.

We don't need concierge service.
We need:
Help with the 20%
Better Patient Education
Access to the best possible medications (have you seen the price of Binders?)

We don't need shiny, exclusive units.
We need:
Better state over-site
For profits to be put into research to ERADICATE kidney disease

We don't need DaVita and their Business model of dialysis.
We need:
Patient health to be the profit, and the world would be a better place.

I'll hop off my soapbox now, and go back to work. It is just that when I read about what is going on in the business of dialysis, and I see/read what is going on in reality, my head explodes.

 

[MooseMom]

There's something about this that is so...uh...American, and I don't mean that in a good way.

I'm truly speechless.  You've said everything there is to say.  Country Club dialysis.  What a novel concept.

[Henry P Snicklesnorter]

.

[MooseMom]

There is no "choice thing" here in the US.

I have private insurance, but that means nothing, really, other than the fact that my dialysis clinic will be able to charge my insurance company more than they will be able to charge Medicare once I am forced to go on that particular entitlement program.

I wonder why DaVita is opening its first villas in St. Louis and Cleveland.  Those seem like odd places, sort of random.  Anyone have any ideas?

[Henry P Snicklesnorter]

.

[MooseMom]

I guess it will offer a choice.  I guess it's like paying more to fly first class; whether or not you are in economy, you will still get there.  Buy whether or not it is really a viable choice will depend upon how much the "nominal fee" is.  I guess it would be nice to have a private room, et all, but if you are still getting crappy ICHD, having a private room and someone to pick up your dry cleaning isn't going to help you live longer in better health.  Why not spend more money toward giving people choices that really matter, like ICNHD?

I guess money talks.

[Henry P Snicklesnorter]

.

[Zach]

DaVita has a search engine to locate their units that offer In-Center Nocturnal Hemodialysis.
Looks like there are about 115 centers offering this higher quality hemodialysis.

 

http://www.davita.com/nocturnal/centers/index.cfm

[MooseMom]

Should be offered more nocturnal units than that...  115 is not enough.  There are NONE within 50 miles of me.

[Rerun]

I can't afford it, but if I could you bet I'd pay to have a private room and not have to sit by some guy who comes in with a chilidog and farts it out 3 hours after he eats it.  Or someone who blasts their TV  or or or....

Gret Idea.... If only I win the Lottery!

[okarol]

  Almost makes dialysis sound like a luxury vacation.

[Meinuk]

Thanks Zach for pointing out those 115 centers that offer Nocturnal.  There is ONE in NY State.  (hey one Davita unit offering Nocturnal is a start - after all, there are only 25,000 people on dialysis in NY State)

Of course, I would be in that demographic where I would pay extra for luxury dialysis.  I would have paid extra for Home Hemo.  I even tried to buy a machine. But as Henry pointed out, the standard of care is the same.  The sad part is, in the United States, the standard of care is TRAGIC. And, it would be tragic in a Villa too.  It would just smell better, be softer, be quiet and have premium cable and wifi.  Maybe your oil could be changed while you are dialyizing. I'm all for it, but not when a corporation has a lousy track record in patient care in it's other units. 

DaVita says that it is a numbers game, they are so big that statistically, things will go wrong, and pro publica simply cherry picked some of the more egregious. BUT THOSE ARE ONLY THE ONES THAT WERE MADE PUBLIC.  Our overall survival rates here in the United States show that we are sicker and dying faster on dialysis.  Why are outcomes so much worse than France and Japan and Australia? What are we doing wrong? And as one of the Largest Dialysis Providers in the United States, what is DaVita's responsibility in those statistics? Will those numbers go down because DaVita has Villas? NO, it is too small a population.  What if DaVita started training and monitoring their professional staff better?  Would the numbers go down?  I think YES. 

But the only numbers that for profit dialysis seems to be concerned with are the numbers in their bank accounts.

I see this "Villa" concept as DaVita tapping into a profitable market.  This is the same company that ran DaVita Lufkin Texas (and blamed a rogue nurse); This is the Company that ran DaVita Lifecare Dialysis in NYC, and again blamed the staff. (You can google for more)

As a business, Davita is to be admired.  As a health care provider, I just wish that they would clean up their act before they opened their dialysis "villas".

I come from a world of Not-for-Profit Medicine.  I learned about Teaching Hospitals when I was working at the MGH is Boston.  Yes, there were private, expensive wings, but the standard of care was equal.  The amenities may have been disproportionate, but the standard of care was the same in a medicaid bed or a bed at the top of Phillips House. There is so much money at the MGH - I know that, but I also know that we treated patients equally as far as their care was concerned.

As my rant stands, it is just that, a rant. A person who know that there is better out there, but sees that the majority of those on dialysis may never have it.

I will call Port Washington in the AM and ask them about their nocturnal program.  I'll be curious how many shifts and beds they have. After all, they are in my back yard.

Oh, and adding to my rant was this headline:

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/02/23/1555725/council-oks-davita-loan.html

So, Davita by 2014 will be employing 1,100 people in Tacoma?  That's is huge.  What are they all going to be doing there?  I thought that they were headquartered in Colorado.  are these going to be 1,100 "real jobs? a 1.0 FTE or will they be business as usual? Hire per diems, pay them low wages, and essentially create a class of working poor?

I want to see DaVita clean up its act.  I want to see them sponsoring REAL medical studies.  I want to see them encouraging employee growth.  I want to see them creating a standard of care in their staffing that is world class.  I want to see them not just doing and in service when they have a citation form the state. I want to see their staff members taking part in new technology, learning about buttonholes and pushing longer slower dialysis anywhere that they can get it.  I understand that there are a few who are already doing that.  I want it to be the standard. I want ALL DaVita employees to be held to that standard.

But I am afraid that what we have is a great Business and a brand name, just like McDonald's.  And just like McDonald's will "class" it up sometimes with their McCafe - I am afraid, that is what we have with DaVita Villas.  McCafe.  It looks better, but it still isn't very good for you.

[

b]Tacoma City Council OKs DaVita loan [/b]

he city has been cleared to pursue what’s been called the key incentive for keeping one of Tacoma’s largest private employers in town: a $3.9 million federally backed loan.

Now, with the City Council’s unanimous approval Tuesday, the city can pursue the special low-interest loan to help kidney dialysis giant DaVita Inc. expand a technology center and make other upgrades to its downtown offices.

The loan, which aims to leverage other funding, will also help the company buy equipment and refinance existing debt on its leased Tacoma offices, said Martha Anderson of Tacoma’s Community and Economic Development Department. In turn, the company plans to expand its operations in town, creating about 200 more jobs by 2014, she said.

With the council’s authorization, the city can now apply to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for a Section 108 guarantee loan on behalf of Horizon Holdings I, LLC, a Tacoma-based property management group that leases office space to DaVita.

In turn, the group will use the low-interest loan to make the necessary equipment buys and tenant improvements at an annex occupied by DaVita’s technology center, just behind the old Schoenfeld Building on Pacific Avenue where the company now houses its Tacoma headquarters.

“I’m adamant in saying that without this (loan) in our toolbox, we would have lost the company,” Eric Cederstrand of Horizon Holdings told council members last week.

Jim Hilger, a DaVita vice president based in Tacoma, did not return a call for comment Tuesday.

Once submitted, HUD officials will review the city’s application to see if it meets the program’s guidelines. The council will also need to authorize acceptance of the loan’s final terms.

“The point of the Section 108 program is to help spark economic activity that will lead to job creation,” said Lee Jones, a local spokesman for HUD. “It sounds like this (project) is not out of line with that.”

If approved, repayment of the $3.9 million loan – which actually will be lent by a private institution, not HUD – is to be guaranteed by a pledge from the city’s federal Community Development Block Grant entitlement grant, Jones said.

Horizon, in turn, will pay off the loan and has put up as collateral the annex building, which recently appraised at $4.8 million, Anderson said.

If the loan wins approval, the City Council also will need to amend the city’s five-year block grant consolidated plan through 2015 by adding the project to the plan’s list of funding requests. The plan is required by HUD to access such federal block grants, which are now being targeted for cuts by U.S. House Republicans and President Obama.

Such prospective cuts won’t affect the current loan application, Anderson said Tuesday.

With favorable interest rates as low as 4 percent over its 10-year term, the potential loan stands to save Denver-based DaVita a substantial amount for upgrading its local facilities at a time when private loans are hard to come by, officials said. Though its primary beneficiary in this case will be a Fortune 500 company, the federal loan program is achieving its purpose – sparking job creation in generally low- to moderate-income areas, they added.

“The company is located within a census tract that has 30 percent poverty,” Anderson noted.

Tacoma has “made regular use” of the Section 108 loan program for several recent projects, including ongoing construction of the LeMay Automobile Museum, Jones said.

“This seems like a very legitimate use,” Councilman Ryan Mello said Tuesday. “It’s a program that companies across the nation are taking advantage of.”

This is the second such loan for DaVita’s local operations, which received a Section 108 loan when the company, then known as Total Renal Care, moved into the Schoenfeld Building, Cederstrand said.

With the end of the company’s lease nearing, local business leaders, politicians and others put together an incentive package in 2009 to retain DaVita and its roughly 900 jobs. About the same time, the company announced it planned to stay in Tacoma.

Read more: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/02/23/1555725/council-oks-davita-loan.html#ixzz1F2BYspED[/size]

[Hazmat35]

How in the world did anyone ever come up with the idea of a "SPA" for Dialysis!  I guess if there is a way to make money, someone will think of it, and someone will pay for it! 

The idea is kind of nice, getting your car worked on, dry cleaning being done, but I know that I can get the same services from local business here, while I'm at work.   They will pick your car up at your office in the morning, and depending upon what is wrong with it, bring it back by the end of the day.  But, you have to PAY for the service. 

[Zach]

Perhaps this type of hemodialysis center will flourish if those who promote the extending of the 30-month MSP-period win the day.

Those with employer provided insurance will join the "spas" while all others will dialyze in places described by "Stacy Without An E."