Lawsuits:

Denver-based DaVita settles case on overuse of kidney care drug
quote from message thread: "Unlike not-for-profit dialysis centers, which reduced doses of the anemia drug Epogen after they reached recommended hematocrit levels, for-profit centers continued to increase doses, sometimes to three times that of non-profit centers." "Why is this important? High doses of Epogen and similar drugs can lead to increased risk for death, strokes and heart attacks in kidney dialysis patients, which is why the FDA following the study issued a black box warning to advise doctors that they should use only the lowest dose necessary."

Jury awards $383.5 million in GranuFlo-linked patient deaths
"According to the complaints, the dialysis provider “failed to inspect and review the composition of GranuFlo and noticed changes, and DaVita should have noticed a significant upswing overall in bicarbonate blood levels when patients returned for dialysis treatments,” the firm said. “DaVita ignored many red flags that preceded the loss of life of these three patients and many others,” Rob Carey, lead trail attorney, said."

Davita Wasted Drugs to Make Big Money Off Medicare
As an example, this is what our tax dollars were used for: "instead of giving an entire 100-milligram vial of the Venofer iron drug once or twice a month, DaVita clinics gave 25-milligram doses more frequently, according to the lawsuit. But since the drug came only in a 100-milligram vial, Medicare was billed for 100 milligrams for each dose, even though 75 milligrams were wasted".

DaVita Whistleblower David Barbetta’s Story (DaVita paid out $400 million)
"DaVita whistleblower David Barbetta alleged in a qui tam case that DaVita paid doctors hidden kickbacks as a way to get patient referrals for its dialysis clinics and to reduce or eliminate competition from other dialysis centers."

Davita HealthCare Partners Announce $495 Million Whistleblower Settlement
Besides wasting Venofer, an iron supplement, as pointed out previously this article points out Zemplar, a prescription Vitamin D supplement was also wasted. And this article also nicely summed up many of DaVita's lawsuits over the years: "In addition to the Vainer and Barbir case, DaVita has settled two additional whistleblower lawsuits, including a $55 million settlement in 2012 regarding double billing for the anemia drug Epogen, and $389 million in 2009 regarding kickbacks to kidney doctors for patient referrals. DaVita also paid $22 million to settle related claims throughout five states."

Death of Betty Allen
"Over the years, as the for-profit industry started to get involved in dialysis, there were big changes ... unlicensed technicians or uncertified technicians instead of nurses," Ferriter says. "It has become more impersonal. When you think about it, it's the same principle as an assembly line."

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