We advance our position as a leading dialysis provider by leveraging DSI Renal's strengths, which include:
Quality of Patient Care. We believe our reputation for quality patient care is a key factor in attracting leading nephrologists and their patients to our clinics. Our standards of patient care are established through our medical protocol guidelines developed and monitored by our Medical_Advisory_Board. We establish these protocols using the best practices across our network of affiliated nephrologists.
Our parallel priorities are to achieve optimal patient outcomes and ensure patient satisfaction. We believe our commitment to quality care, in addition to benefiting our patients' quality of life and longevity, contributes to our financial strength. The higher survival rate and reduced days spent in hospitals which our patients record result in appropriate additional treatments at our centers.
Strong Regional Networks and Leading Positions. We have developed a substantial presence in our targeted markets by establishing regional networks of dialysis centers. Clustering our centers in regional networks enhances our competitive position by: (1) building strong, long-term relationships with local nephrologists; (2) providing a platform for organic growth and de novo clinic expansion to accommodate growth in the patient base of our affiliated physicians; (3) providing nephrologists and patients with access to convenient locations and greater scheduling flexibility; and (4) allowing us to benefit from economies of scale of leveraging fixed administrative and clinical functions.
Significant Physician Involvement. Our Chief Medical Officer is actively involved in our operations, from training and protocol development to purchasing and cost management opportunities. The substantial involvement of our Chief Medical Officer and our Medical_Advisory_Board, which consists of prominent nephrologists, has been a significant factor in: (1) attracting new medical directors; and (2) maintaining strong relationships with existing attending physicians. Our physician leadership also allows us to achieve physician consensus among our centers, which enhances our ability to achieve a high level of standardization among our clinics.
Advanced Medical and Clinical Information System. Our clinics and attending nephrologists benefit from our proprietary medical and clinical information system, known as PEARL. PEARL provides timely clinical information to our physicians through an integrated electronic medical record in an easily accessible online format. As an example, the PEARL system actively tracks patient data, sending email notifications to physicians and patient care staff when specified patient data appears to be outside of normal ranges. We believe PEARL is a significant factor in our superior patient outcomes.
Proven Track Record of Growth Through Development. Since DSI Renal's founding through December 31, 2009, we have successfully acquired or developed 106 clinics. We exercise strong financial and operational discipline in our development strategy and as a result, achieve superior returns.
