CMS has granted emergency certification to four new dialysis clinics in San Antonio and Houston to provide service to patients evacuated by the recent hurricanes according to DaVita, Inc. , the nation's largest independent provider of dialysis services. DaVita has been accepting evacuated patients in San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, Austin, and other parts of East Texas.

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"We want our patients and any evacuees to know that we have dialysis centers open and ready to serve them," stated DaVita CEO Kent Thiry.

The early certification of four clinics in San Antonio and Houston increases DaVita's capacity to take care of evacuated patients. "CMS has been very responsive to our patient needs," explained Kent Thiry. "We are also grateful for our East Texas teammates who have added shifts to their schedules to handle more patients."

DaVita and Gambro combined have 45 clinics in Texas in the area that was hit by Hurricane Rita. Forty centers are currently taking care of patients and the rest will open by the end of this week. In preparation for the hurricane, DaVita provided all patients with complete copies of their medical records and lists of facilities in the area. Patients can also call a dedicated hurricane 800 number, 1-800-400-8331 or visit www.davita.com to get an update on the status of their current center or find a new center.

DaVita is a leading provider of dialysis services for patients suffering from chronic kidney failure. DaVita operates and provides administrative services to kidney dialysis centers and home peritoneal dialysis programs domestically in 37 states and the District of Columbia. In December, 2004 DaVita announced its intention to acquire Gambro Healthcare. As of June 30, 2005, DaVita operated or provided administrative services at 706 outpatient centers, serving approximately 57,200 patients.

SOURCE: DaVita, Inc.