The dialysis provider said this exceeded the company’s clinical goals for patient vaccination rates, and was a direct result of education efforts with patients.
Based on the 2010 USRDS Annual Data Report (reporting claims-based data from 2008) the industry vaccination rates for influenza and pneumonia were 66.5 percent and 25.2 percent, respectively. Reporting from the same data, DaVita's influenza vaccination rate was at 72.9 percent and its pneumonia vaccination rate was 36.4 percent for 2008.
"Flu vaccinations can be the difference between life and death for those suffering from CKD," said DaVita Chief Medical Officer Dr. Allen R. Nissenson. "A sneeze is just a symptom to a healthy person but for a dialysis patient, it can be the sign of a life-threatening infection."
