U-tube video clips of the great Duh-Vita in action. You must see to believe!

[bioya]

Its not about the party folks, its not about the drunks that come out of the woodwork at night at these "meetings". Its about responsibility to the patient. Its about not wasting millions and millions of dollars a year on stupid events to make staff feel good, it is about the patient. These millions could be, and should be spent on the patients care at the level of the clinic. Most of these people are not bad people. Honestly, they have been brainwashed, or as those of us in Gambro said, they "drank the kool-air".  Its a sad state of affairs when you as a "fourtune 500" company fight legislation to certify and train dialysis technicians to make them more safe to work with the patient because it will cost, honesly, millions of dollars to set up training nationwide. However, you can spend those same millions not on training of techs, but on parties and bands and just another get away party for KT and his boys (and girls) in their 3 muskateers outfits. I promise,

TURN YOUR VOLUME UP!! lol  Here we go!

First one is a national meeting evening party.  This is with the DaVita blues band which I might add are employees of Duh-Vita that are PAID to travel and play at these big drunkfests.  Tens of thousands of dollars spent in salary for these people to fly to get to a location to practice and then more money spent flying them to Duh-Vita events.  Thats right, more money spent on party time people while staffing in the clinics suffer. Here is that one! lol

http://youtube.com/watch?v=pdaTW9RnFHY&mode=related&search=This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by DaVita, Inc. I wonder why.

The second is a DaVita Academy with you guessed it, more paid Duh-Vita employees flown across the US to play music for the academy. Can you imagine how many tens of thousands of dollars are spent flying people around the country just to party?   Duh-Vita does like to drink and party guys. Maybe they should change the name to Drunk-Vita  LOL.   Check out the person dancing. This is typical of the brain washing at Duh-Vita. If you don't play there game, you are not going to make it at Duh-Vita.  These people act like idiots at these meetings. Folks, THESE are the people taking care of you in the clinic every day. Imagine the money spent on each academy if it were put back into a clinic to help us maintain staff and resources for the patient. 


http://youtube.com/watch?v=rpGjvvpxFPM&mode=related&search=This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by DaVita, Inc. HaHa I wonder why.


EDITED: Added Davita's Disclaimer - Sluff/ Admin

[Chicken Little]

Not something I can get upset about.  It's their money and I'm not a stock holder.  Those employees in attendance do have to pay taxes on those "free" trips now though, so that may stop their popularity.     

Compared to the other waste I've seen in corporations though, events like these are (unfortunately) small potatoes.

[bioya]

No employee pays any taxes on any trip. I went to seven or eight. Is a company sponsored event, no taxes are paid by anyone in attendance.

You don't get upset at the waste of dollars at these events when the monies could be spent at the clinic level??

[Chicken Little]

There is a new law requiring employers to count perks, like corporate sponsored trips, as taxable income. 

Of course Davita should be training their employees.  Waste in corporations is rampant though and these stupid events account for a very small portion of that waste.  If Davita doesn't provide adequate services, they will not stay in business.  But how they waste their profits is their business and their shareholders business.     

[bioya]

I just spoke with the lady that took my clinic. She stated they did not tell any of the 2500+ that was in attendance that there were any tax liabilities that went with the trip. This will be interesting. I will try to google that law. I would like to read it. Thanks for the information.
Also, thats not profit they are spending. That money is budgeted each year for the meetings and academies. Again, I just think the money could be better spent on training that party!  Have a good one

[Adam_W]

I think I can honestly say that the three most  corporations in the world are Microsoft, Wal-mart, and  Duh-vita. (although I can't complain too much because I use Microsoft software, occasionally shop at Wal-mart, and will soon be doing home dialysis through Duh-vita). Oh well, I guess I'm more evil than I thought  .

Adam

[reno2360]

After we became Davita office supplies that were old and gross were actually retrieved from the TRASH BIN OUTSIDE rather than let us get new ones.  I am talking about little things like pencil holders and other items in that category.    We were also no longer given wrist braces to help those who have pain from carpal tunnell problems from using the keyboard.  Gambro did that if there was a problem.   

I attended an Academy and the waste of money was really ridiculous.  They hold these dozens of times each and every year.  Oh, yes underage "teammates" were allowed to drink too.  They were the worst off the second day too as they were all hyped up that they were getting away with it.  The second day for most people was really a waste anyway because of the excessive partying the evening before.

[Rerun]

I heard they are in meetings 8 to 9 hours a day and these  crazy events are held at night.  Still no excues for the waste.  What makes me mad is the greed (as I keep saying).  Drunk-Vita (love it) asked patients to write congress for more money.  WTF?

[reno2360]

I heard they are in meetings 8 to 9 hours a day and these crazy events are held at night. Still no excues for the waste. What makes me mad is the greed (as I keep saying). Drunk-Vita (love it) asked patients to write congress for more money. WTF?

Do the patients in your clinic feel pressured to write these letters?
]

[bioya]

We had to let our ROD know which ones of us wrote letters from our Clinic. Of course, we all lied to the ROD. Its pretty bad when they base part of your evaluation on your writing congress.

Oh and lets not forget the political action committee that all managers were "requested" to join and send money too so that Duh-Vita could have more money for lobbists to get their way in congress.  God, I almost forgot about that!

[Rerun]

I heard they are in meetings 8 to 9 hours a day and these crazy events are held at night. Still no excues for the waste. What makes me mad is the greed (as I keep saying). Drunk-Vita (love it) asked patients to write congress for more money. WTF?

Do the patients in your clinic feel pressured to write these letters?
]

DaVita sent out the information in a newsletter.  My clinic never mentioned it to me.

[reno2360]

What the government is trying to do is change the way Medicare pays dialysis treatments and medications.  Currently they are paid separately, hence the EPO controversy, and they want to change that to an all inclusive rate for treatments and meds.  Theoretically this would take away any incentive to over prescribe EPO as EPO brings in a lot of revenue.   We'll see what happens with that.   

[goofynina]

I believe they will get theirs in the long run, especially that KT,  he thinks he's got it good now but i believe his days will be numbered once this gets in the hands of the right person... 

[bioya]

Hey, just a note on your comment. Yea, we had "meetings" and "breakout sessions" for six hours or so a day with Duh-Vita, but they were not "meetings" like you would think. With Gambro, we had scientific meetings with data that we could return to our units with and help the patients. You know, Calcium deficiency, bone loss, heart conditions with ESRD, etc, etc.

Now, with Duh-Vita, the "meetings" are always repeats of "how we got here". How we were so bad now we are so good. How to make more profit, how to do more with less, etc, etc. The two Duh-Vita meetings I went to had no breakouts on patient care, just blowing on each other. 

I hope that makes sense. As I had said in earlier posts, at least w/ Gambro, we had breakout sessions that were patient related, but at least for the two that I went to for Duh-Vita, there were no patient related breakouts. Something may have changed this year, that I don't know.  I do know that the person that replaced me at my inpatient center told me yesterday that there was no real good information put out during the four days that helped her in the day to day running of the clinic. And this came from a long time Duh-Vita gal.

I need to add something. One thing we did do in Dallas that was really REALLY nice is that we put together hundreds of bicycles for needy kids. It was very nice to see that you touched a kids life and made them happy, at least for a part of their day. It was very nice. I had to add that or I would not be fair in my post.

[Mongo]

Its not about the party folks, its not about the drunks that come out of the woodwork at night at these "meetings". Its about responsibility to the patient. Its about not wasting millions and millions of dollars a year on stupid events to make staff feel good, it is about the patient. These millions could be, and should be spent on the patients care at the level of the clinic. Most of these people are not bad people. Honestly, they have been brainwashed, or as those of us in Gambro said, they "drank the kool-air". 

You were in the Army, weren't you bioya??  I've got some buddies that are and were in the military and the stories I hear and have heard about the "partying" (i.e. heavy drinking) that went on would make DaVita's events look like Saturday mass at the Vatican!  LOL  Now, is the Army a bad place because this went on? Is the Army's mission and what they do tainted by this behavior? Are you, a retired service member (thank you, btw) and NCO responsible for the actions of a few? There are idiots in any large group or organization. When you get 2000+ people in one location, you're bound to have them come out of the woodwork. This is not indicative of the company as a whole.

DaVita likes to have fun. You know why? Because the job we do day in and day out is damn hard. It's nice to work for a company that recognizes that and rewards us for our hard work. Music, dancing, adult beverages...it's all fun...in moderation! Sorry you don't see it for that. And, contrary to your beliefs, the meeting time is very productive.

It's hard to get that real specific, scientific training in when you have 2500 people from the whole company (clinical, education, cbo, people services, etc). So, it is used to introduce general ideas and concepts that are applicable to the whole Village and then it's up to the Divisions and Regions to tailor it be meaningful information applicable to what we do.

Again, if you had stuck around long enough, you would know this!

Yes... I drank the kool-aid. In fact, I joke that not only did I drink it but I have it on an IV pole and that I roll it around with me everywhere I go!   

I'm fired up about an idea...a mission...values...not a person or people. My ideas about this company aren't rooted in who does what but how it gives me the opportunity to serve my teammates and patients. We use the words "mission", "core values", "teammates" and "One for All...". To you, these are words to be scoffed at...to us...and most importantly, to me, they mean something.

First one is a national meeting evening party.  This is with the DaVita blues band which I might add are employees of Duh-Vita that are PAID to travel and play at these big drunkfests.  Tens of thousands of dollars spent in salary for these people to fly to get to a location to practice and then more money spent flying them to Duh-Vita events.  Thats right, more money spent on party time people while staffing in the clinics suffer. Here is that one! lol

http://youtube.com/watch?v=pdaTW9RnFHY&mode=related&search=

First, 3/4's of the members of the band are senior executives of the company and were part of presentations during the day. I can't speak to their practice habits but I do know that many work at the Casa or in units nearby.

Second, many Fortune 500 companies have bands...Hard Rock Cafe has an annual "Battle of the Bands" that DaVita participates in against other Fortune 500 companies. It's called PR. It's a way to introduce DaVita to segments of the community that would have no idea who or what DaVita is. You think it's wasteful spending but the money that goes into this is a drop in the bucket compared to the overall annual budget and the PR received in invaluable.

You know, you keep talking about staffing in clinics suffering. You could have staffing on a 1:1 basis and if the leadership of the clinic is broken and the training is poor, you're still going to have problems. Throwing money at the problem or bemoaning the fact that money is spent on nationwide meetings or academies that could be spent on staffing is not the answer. It's all about who you hire, how you train them and the expectations you hold them to. As a former NCO in the Army (thanks, again, BTW), I don't see how you miss this. In your case, you had to pair down...and that sort of change is difficult. But you aren't the first to experience the change and there are many wonderful DaVita clinics that provide excellent care under the same circumstances that you couldn't. How change is dealt with starts with the leadership of the unit. If you have a strong leader, change can be successful. If not, you lose people and you quality of care suffers.

The second is a DaVita Academy with you guessed it, more paid Duh-Vita employees flown across the US to play music for the academy. Can you imagine how many tens of thousands of dollars are spent flying people around the country just to party?   Duh-Vita does like to drink and party guys. Maybe they should change the name to Drunk-Vita  LOL.   Check out the person dancing. This is typical of the brain washing at Duh-Vita. If you don't play there game, you are not going to make it at Duh-Vita.  These people act like idiots at these meetings. Folks, THESE are the people taking care of you in the clinic every day. Imagine the money spent on each academy if it were put back into a clinic to help us maintain staff and resources for the patient. 

http://youtube.com/watch?v=rpGjvvpxFPM&mode=related&search=

Now, you're just grasping at straws, bioya! First, it was probably an Academy near the Casa in CA.

The person dancing is an idiot!      ..."typical brainwashing"...holy cow have you gone off the deep end!! There is no game...you either believe in the mission and values or you don't. I've said many times, DaVita is not easy...it sets the bar high. Those who wash out or quit don't have what it takes to be successful in the company...period...end of story.

You don't want to acknowledge the benefits of the Nationwide Meetings or the Academies. But for the rest of the folks reading, there is good that comes out of the meeting. First and foremost, since the advent of academies, retention has increased significantly. You get a sense of community...a common purpose...an understanding of why we do what we do that maybe doesn't get communicated by FAs like bioya. Patient care is actually enhanced by these meetings because teammates that attend and are purposeful in their reason for being there come back fired up to make DaVita the best dialysis company the world has ever seen! And that, folks, translates into better patient care!!

Mongo

[bioya]

You have a line and an answer for anything. By the way, why are you posting on Duh-Vita time? You are stealing from the company!!

[Mongo]

You have a line and an answer for anything. By the way, why are you posting on Duh-Vita time? You are stealing from the company!!

Does it bother you that I have an answer for everything?!? It actually comes quite naturally when dealing with people like you...it's just so easy debunking you're line of crap that it's almost unfair!   

Now...don't go worrying yourself about my time. I assure you, DaVita gets its pound of flesh from me each and every week!!   

Mongo

[goofynina]

I think Mongo is KT in disguise

[Mongo]

I think Mongo is KT in disguise

 

[Mongo]

We had to let our ROD know which ones of us wrote letters from our Clinic. Of course, we all lied to the ROD. Its pretty bad when they base part of your evaluation on your writing congress.

Oh and lets not forget the political action committee that all managers were "requested" to join and send money too so that Duh-Vita could have more money for lobbists to get their way in congress. God, I almost forgot about that!

Once again, you had an opportunity to stand on principle and you failed. If you thought writing to Congress was a waste, you should have told your ROD where to stick his letters. Instead, you show your true colors and lied to him showing us how much integrity you truly have.

This is for the rest of IHD members who are interested in more than hate-filled rants against DaVita:
PACs (political action committees) are a way to get your voice heard in Washington, D.C. Teammates are requested to contribute and it is up to each of us to decide if we will or will not contribute. That money, in turn, is given to those members of Congress who support the laws and initiatives that benefit the renal community.

Regardless of where you dialyze, your unit has received a 1.6% increase in Medicare reimbursement for the last 2 years because of DaVita's advocacy and leadership in the political world. Prior to that, dialysis providers hadn't received an increase in their Medicare rates for a quarter of a century. Do you know your unit loses money for every Medicare treatment it performs? That is, the composite rate doesn't cover everything that it's supposed to. It's a good thing that medication is billed for seperately or I don't know of any company, including DaVita, that could continue to stay open.

I would encourage anyone who is interested to go to the DaVita Patient Citizens' website at http://advocacy.dialysispatients.org/site/PageServer?pagename=new_homepage to learn more about the issues that affect our renal community as a whole.

So yes, DaVita encourages its patients and teammates to write to their members of Congress. We are encouraged to invite our Representatives and Senators at the Federal and State levels to come tour our units and meet our patients. They are writing laws and funding parts of Medicare that directly affect your lives yet they have no idea what dialysis is all about. At DaVita, we try to give them the unit perspective of what we do in the care we provide and how ESRD truly impacts your life.Yes, those of us who wish to contribute to PACs gladly donate our money because it is just another way that we support those in Congress that are willing to support the dialysis community as a whole. This is all a part of DaVita becoming the greatest dialysis company the world has ever seen!   

Mongo

[bioya]

I never said I lied to him. I just did not do it.  Do you read in my post that I lied.

Man, you sound more like a suit (oops, Duh-Vita don't wear suits) and less like a FA. Seems like you have all the company driven BS down pretty pat for just being a little ole FA. YOu sure you don't work at the Casa? (is that how it is spelled?)

Oh, and in the intrest of fair play, I will say that was one thing I did like about Duh-Vita. With Gambro, when we went to company functions, we had to wear business casual clothing. But with Duh-Vita, we could wear t-shirts, shorts, tennis shoes, etc, etc. That made it much more comfortable to sit in their BS love me fests! As I live in one of the hottest states in the US, I loved wearing those shorts and t-shirts!!!

Why don't you come out and tell us your real position with Duh-Vita? 

[Mongo]

I never said I lied to him. I just did not do it. Do you read in my post that I lied.

Take a look below....

We had to let our ROD know which ones of us wrote letters from our Clinic. Of course, we all lied to the ROD. Its pretty bad when they base part of your evaluation on your writing congress.

Oh and lets not forget the political action committee that all managers were "requested" to join and send money too so that Duh-Vita could have more money for lobbists to get their way in congress. God, I almost forgot about that!

Once again, you had an opportunity to stand on principle and you failed. If you thought writing to Congress was a waste, you should have told your ROD where to stick his letters. Instead, you show your true colors and lied to him showing us how much integrity you truly have.

Take a look above...in red...and in bold...what does it say?    That's all you, buddy!        How great is this?!?   

Man, you sound more like a suit (oops, Duh-Vita don't wear suits) and less like a FA. Seems like you have all the company driven BS down pretty pat for just being a little ole FA. YOu sure you don't work at the Casa? (is that how it is spelled?)

Oh, and in the intrest of fair play, I will say that was one thing I did like about Duh-Vita. With Gambro, when we went to company functions, we had to wear business casual clothing. But with Duh-Vita, we could wear t-shirts, shorts, tennis shoes, etc, etc. That made it much more comfortable to sit in their BS love me fests! As I live in one of the hottest states in the US, I loved wearing those shorts and t-shirts!!!

Why don't you come out and tell us your real position with Duh-Vita?

Man, why don't you stop trying to "out" me?!? I am who a say I am...a simple FA doing my best to make DaVita a better place. Does it bother you that I sound more intelligent than you? There are many more of my types out there doing incredible work, taking care of our teams and our patients...NO BRAG, JUST FACT!!

Remember, I walk around with an IV pole with fresh DaVita Kool-Aid pumping into my veins!!   

Mongo

[bioya]

LOL.. wow man, your ate up with it. "Being the best diaysis company the world has ever seen". Right out of the academy!  You got the lingo down pat!

[Mongo]

LOL.. wow man, your ate up with it. "Being the best diaysis company the world has ever seen". Right out of the academy! You got the lingo down pat!

Yeah...I guess I am. The mission and values resonate with me. I don't follow people, I follow ideas. And...if I'm the only person in all of DaVita that actually believes and lives this, then I will continue to do so because the philosophy behind it all is right.

Safe travels to Nevada...

Mongo

[glitter]

seems like alot of people here have bad experiences, since they are the actual patients-who actually have to live and die by Davita's rules, I think I will be more prone to believe what they say...and it seems like you are blowing off a lot of legitimate opinions. Just my