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If you’re reading this article, then you or a loved one are probably struggling with a long-term illness, and need dialysis as a result.
Like any serious, ongoing medical procedure, dialysis is stressful, inconvenient, and probably expensive. Medical insurance is expensive, but without it, most medicines and procedures (especially an ongoing one like dialysis) are simply too expensive.
So, you may find yourself relying on medical benefits or looking for a non-profit clinic. However, choosing a good non-profit clinic is nowhere near as simple as finding a good hospital.
DaVita dialysis is a non-profit clinic that offers kidney dialysis as well as other treatments. Is this a clinic worth investigating? What kind of organization is DaVita? What do the reviews say?
Let’s find out.
Dialysis is a procedure in which the blood is gradually taken out of the body, filtered, and returned to the body. There are many different health conditions that may mean you need dialysis, with kidney failure being one of the most common.
This is because the kidneys filter our blood, removing toxins, solubles, and other waste that would otherwise build up in the body. Without this filtering system, you will die.
So, if the kidneys don’t work, your blood will need to be filtered in some other way, and this is where dialysis comes in.
Often, dialysis is a temporary measure until a patient becomes eligible for a kidney transplant. Even one kidney will efficiently filter and clean the blood, presuming you don’t overload your single kidney with your diet and lifestyle habits.
If you haven’t had dialysis before, or you’re a new patient, what should you expect from your dialysis experience? Let’s discuss a few frequently asked questions about kidney dialysis.
On average, dialysis takes between 3-5 hours and should be repeated 3 times a week. However, your doctor may make a different recommendation based on your personal needs and health.
This means that you’ll be spending around 9-15 hours a week at your dialysis clinic (unless you’re receiving at-home dialysis, which we’ll discuss later). Fortunately, you can use the time to nap, read, or watch TV – mostly, dialysis is just a boring but necessary procedure.
Dialysis shouldn’t be a painful or uncomfortable process. Some patients notice nausea or abdominal cramps, but this can be dealt with by adjusting the dialysis flow settings. In short, if you notice any unusual sensations or discomfort, talk to a member of staff about it.
Since dialysis is a regular, weekly procedure, you’ll have a permanent entrance portal for dialysis, likely on your arm. The area will be carefully sterilized, and two needles will be inserted.
Blood is drawn out through one needle and filtered through a dialysis machine. The clean, filtered blood is returned to the body via the second needle.
For first-time users, dialysis can be an unsettling experience. However, it shouldn’t be painful or even uncomfortable.
You shouldn’t experience any side effects. However, if you do experience pain, discomfort, or any other uncomfortable sensations either during or after your dialysis, speak to your doctor about it.
DaVita dialysis clinic is a non-profit medical organization, focusing on renal care and dialysis. While they are a well-known and popular clinic, choosing a good non-profit dialysis site is not easy.
There are many other dialysis clinics apart from DaVita in the US, so which should you choose? Is DaVita a clinic worth attending? What should you know about DaVita? Are there any red flags to be concerned about?
Let’s discuss these questions and more, starting with a brief history of the DaVita organization.
The DaVita clinic’s mission is: “To be the provider, partner, and employer of choice.”
The clinic was known as ‘Total Renal Care’ in the late 1990s and was risking bankruptcy at one point. By March 2000, the clinic was undergoing a serious overhaul with a new CEO, and in May, they were renamed “DaVita”, an Italian phrase meaning “to give life”.
Since then, DaVita has gone from strength to strength, focusing on renal care and other forms of health care, as well as green and sustainable initiatives.
Currently, DaVita has over 55 000 members of staff, serving over 200 000 patients.
DaVita offers two main types of dialysis, hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. So, what’s the difference between these two types of dialysis?
Hemodialysis (HD), is the “traditional” form of dialysis that requires you to visit a dialysis center around 3 times a week. Benefits of HD include:
Additionally, you can look into nocturnal dialysis. This allows your dialysis procedure to be spread out overnight for around 6-8 hours. Benefits of nocturnal dialysis include:
Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is an alternative method of dialysis that involves using the abdomen lining to filter the blood. Benefits include:
Home hemodialysis (HHD) is exactly what it sounds like – dialysis from the comfort of your own home. Benefits include:
DaVita clinics offer all of these dialysis options.
With over 200 clinics in the US, it’s fairly easy to find a DaVita clinic near you. The DaVita website offers a location tool, where you can enter your location and find the nearest clinics around you.
Alternatively, you can call the contact number given and speak with a placement specialist.
Time for the moment of truth – how does DaVita do in the world of patient reviews?
It’s worth noting that most non-profit organizations offer somewhat patchy services. The quality of a clinic will depend on the company’s financial situation and the quality of its staff. Since many members of staff are volunteers, not everyone may be as motivated to do their best.
Essentially, you could visit a clinic in one state and have a wonderful experience, and visit the same type of clinic in another state and have a terrible experience.
The best way to avoid a “trial and error” approach to choosing a dialysis clinic is to thoroughly research the clinic beforehand. Don’t just stop at researching the company themselves, check out your local clinic, too.
A good dialysis clinic should make its patients feel like part of a community. After all, you’ll be spending 9-15 hours a week there. Even if you opt for home hemodialysis, you’ll still be spending the same amount of time on dialysis.
In short, a good clinic requires more than just suitable treatment. The staff needs to be friendly, approachable, kind, and efficient. Here’s what one patient had to say about DaVita:
“As a new dialysis patient, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The technicians who are responsible for putting me on, and taking me off each treatment are caring and friendly. The staff nurses are always checking on me to assess my condition. All of the staff will ask you ” how do you feel”? Dialysis is not an easy process to go through, however, the kind of treatment I have received here at this Davita location helps minimize the effects of the treatment. The treatment area is kept clean and organized. This location handles a large number of patients so they stay very busy, but remain friendly and smile. Bottom line if you need dialysis for some reason consider trying this location.” – Carl R, regarding the Visalia CA DaVita clinic
You can check out this review at Yelp, here. At Birdeye, Millburn DaVita received 4 reviews, all of which were 5 stars, although no comments were left.
Good reviews like this are generally a good sign, although it is difficult to judge the authenticity of online reviews.
A comprehensive review of one DaVita center can be found in full here, and raises some interesting points:
“There are very few reviews on dialysis clinics and quite honestly… there should be more. As patients, we spend sometimes 12-15 hours per week in their chairs and we all know the treatment, management, cleanliness, and quality of care varies greatly by the clinic.”
This is an excellent point, as choosing a good dialysis clinic is crucial to a person’s health and can make the difference between getting on a good organ transplant list – or not.
The reviewer also points out a couple of design flaws:
“This particular clinic has its issues, most of which are based on its design and size. It’s a 16 chair clinic, which fortunately you don’t see very much anymore, but because of its size… you can definitely feel its limitations. This is what I refer to as a strained location. It’s maxed out by its size, but also it’s a long design which means the staff tends to congregate down at one end.”
Once again, it’s worth noting that while this design would make a dialysis visit uncomfortable, there’s no reason to believe that this design is replicated in all the DaVita clinics.
Finally, the reviewer gives a personal commendation:
“The dialysis service itself is top-notch and as you would expect. Efficient and professional. My personal recommendation is Kevin, who is one of those above and beyond people and if you’re a patient… you know exactly what I mean. It’s for he alone that I’m rating this site at 3 stars instead of 2 stars (if I could separately give him 5 stars, I would).”
This is an important consideration, as these staff members can make or break your dialysis visits. Remember, you’ll be spending around 9-15 hours with these people!
The reviewer rated the clinic at 3 out of 5 stars, making it an average experience. However, he did make the point that while the clinic was not perfect, the dialysis was fine – let’s not forget why a person visits a dialysis clinic in the first place.
While just about all of the reviews we found concerning DaVita online were reasonably good, there is one shadow over the company that you should consider.
In 2018, DaVita was sued for several wrongful death claims, after patients died after receiving dialysis at their clinics.
This is a shocking discovery for any clinic and may put patients off getting dialysis at a DaVita facility.
However, in the spirit of fairness, it’s worth noting that DaVita contested these claims, and the incidents took place three years ago, regarding only three patients.
So, is this a dealbreaker for you? Is it an isolated incident, or part of a larger pattern? In the end, it’s up to you to decide.
After a few weeks, you’ll likely become more comfortable with the dialysis procedure. It’s never pleasant, but it is tolerable – and it is necessary.
However, first-time dialysis patients likely have lots of questions, whether you choose to go to a DaVita clinic or some other dialysis clinic. Let’s discuss a few commonly asked questions regarding dialysis and DaVita.
Dialysis does not stop working. In theory, you could continue having dialysis treatments for the rest of your life.
Problems can arise when your body begins to reject dialysis, which could be caused by factors such as your health conditions. Dialysis is often used as a placeholder to keep a patient alive until they can get a kidney transplant.
If your body starts rejecting dialysis, this is often end-of-life renal failure. Symptoms include water retention, loss of appetite, stomach issues (nausea, vomiting, etc), confusion, dizziness, shortness of breath, and passing little to no urine.
For a healthy person, you shouldn’t need to worry about your body rejecting dialysis, certainly not at the beginning of your treatment.
A DaVita dialysis session lasts on average for around 4 hours, three times a week. This can vary, depending on your health, age, and what your doctor has recommended.
So, should you go to DaVita clinics for dialysis?
While most of the reviews we checked in this article are positive, the 2018 legal case against DaVita may worry some patients. After all, a warm and welcoming atmosphere will do you no good if the quality of treatment is sub-par.
However, many reviewers did mention good treatment, clean and well-organized environments, and attentive and caring staff. Chances are, the 2018 incident was an isolated case in just one clinic.
Of course, the ultimate decision is up to you. Choosing a dialysis clinic will depend on all kinds of factors, including your location and financial situation. You will spend hours a week in this clinic, and they will be partly responsible for putting you on a good path to an organ transplant (if that’s your eventual goal).
Always follow your gut. Do you own personal research, not just about the brand of a clinic you’re interested in, but in the local clinic that you will be attending? This is a serious choice and one that shouldn’t be rushed.
If you do plan to attend a DaVita clinic, try visiting the clinic in person, if you can. This will help you get an idea of the clinic’s style, layout, and atmosphere. You may even want to compile a few questions for the staff beforehand
While you’re there, look at the other patients. Do they seem comfortable and happy? Is the staff friendly and attentive?
Read online reviews about the clinic you plan to attend. If possible, talk to friends, family, and acquaintances who’ve attended that clinic or worked there.
Of course, it may not be possible to do all these checks. There’s no denying that searching for a dialysis clinic is stressful and time-consuming. However, don’t be tempted to take a shortcut, especially if you’re choosing a non-profit organization.
Not all dialysis clinics are equal, and DaVita is no exception. Each clinic will vary in terms of staff, layout, and organization. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t find a warm and welcoming clinic that offers support, community, and, of course, dialysis!
