CREATING A FRAMEWORK FOR A COALITION OF NEW YORK CITY KIDNEY DIALYSIS PROVIDERS

DaVita Kidney Care, a division of DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc., provides dialysis services to patients with chronic kidney failure and end-stage renal disease throughout the United States and abroad. DaVita is the largest kidney dialysis provider chain in the New York City metropolitan area. DaVita engaged a Capstone team in determining if a coalition of kidney dialysis providers in New York area would be a cost-effective way to educate patients and lobby for policy reforms to improve dialysis healthcare. The Capstone team assisted DaVita in forming the coalition by developing a coalition framework and created a business plan to sustain the coalition. The team produced the framework and business plan using research from a literature review, stakeholder interviews, a survey of independent dialysis providers, and a focus group of interested organizations. The insights gained culminated in the identification of common issues and challenges that providers in the New York City area face and a business plan for a coalition that best addresses the providers' needs.