Man sits at home and is attached to dialysis machine

Dialysis provider DaVita said higher patient mortality rates due to COVID-19, along with the high cost of personal protective equipment, affected its first quarter earnings. The company made $2.82 billion in revenues for the quarter, versus $2.84 billion during the same period in 2020. The company earned $2.09 per share for the quarter compared to $1.83 in the previous year due to more favorable changes in Medicare rates.

“We’ve made incredible progress in our efforts to combat the pandemic,” DaVita CEO Javier Rodriguez said. “To date. almost three fourths of our U.S. dialysis patients have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.”

DaVita is the second largest provider of facility-based and in-home dialysis services in the United States. Under the Advancing American Kidney Health initiative, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is encouraging expanded in-home dialysis treatment.