SC TO-I

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                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

                             ----------------------

                                   SCHEDULE TO

                             TENDER OFFER STATEMENT
                   UNDER SECTION 14(d)(1) OR SECTION 13(e)(1)
                     OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

                             -----------------------

                                   DAVITA INC.
         (Name of Subject Company (issuer) and Filing Person (offeror))

                             -----------------------

                    COMMON SHARES, PAR VALUE $0.001 PER SHARE
                         (Title of Class of Securities)

                                   23918K_10_8
                      (CUSIP Number of Class of Securities)

                             ------------------------

                               STEVEN J. UDICIOUS
                  VICE PRESIDENT, SECRETARY AND GENERAL COUNSEL
                                   DAVITA INC.
                        21250 HAWTHORNE BLVD., SUITE 800
                         TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA 90503-5517
                                 (310) 792-2600

            (Name, Address and Telephone Number of Person Authorized
      to Receive Notices and Communications on Behalf of the Filing Person)

                                 MARCH 15, 2002

                            CALCULATION OF FILING FEE

         TRANSACTION VALUATION                    AMOUNT OF FILING FEE*
              $                                       $
               ----------                              -----------

*   Pursuant to General Instruction D to Schedule TO, no filing fee is required.

[ ] Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Rule 0-11(a)(2)
    and identify the filing with which the offsetting fee was previously paid.
    Identify the previous filing by registration statement number, or the Form
    or Schedule and the date of its filing.

                Amount Previously Paid:N/A      Filing Party: N/A
                Form or Registration No.:N/A    Date Filed: N/A

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[X] Check box if filing relates solely to preliminary communications made before
    the commencement of a tender offer.

    Check the appropriate boxes below to designate any transactions to which the
    statement relates:

[ ] third-party tender offer subject to Rule 14d-1.
[X] issuer tender offer subject to Rule 13e-4.
[ ] going-private transaction subject to Rule 13e-3.
[ ] amendment to Schedule 13D under Rule 13d-2.

    Check the following box if the filing is a final amendment reporting the
    results of the tender offer: [_]

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This Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO relates to the planned tender offer
by DaVita Inc., a Delaware corporation, to purchase up to 25,000,000 shares of
its common stock, par value $.001 per share, at a price to be determined by
DaVita. This Schedule TO is intended to satisfy the reporting requirements of
Rule 13e-4(c)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

Item 12.   EXHIBIT.

(a)(5)     Press Release, dated March 15, 2002.






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                                    SIGNATURE

After due inquiry and to the best of my knowledge and belief, I certify that the
information set forth in this statement is true, complete and correct.

                                                       DAVITA INC.

                                                      By:  *
                                                         -------------
                                                         Name:
                                                         Title:

Dated:  March 15, 2002

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* Pursuant to General Instruction D to Schedule TO, no signature is required.

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                                  EXHIBIT INDEX

EXHIBIT
NUMBER               DESCRIPTION

 (a)(5)      Press Release, dated March 15, 2002


                                       4

EX-99.(A)(5)

Contact:  LeAnne Zumwalt
          Investor Relations
          DaVita Inc.
          310-750-2072

      DaVita Inc. Plans to Buy up to 25,000,000 Shares of Its Common Stock
                and Its 9 1/4% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2011

TORRANCE, CA, March 15, 2002, DaVita Inc. (NYSE: DVA) announced today its plans
to repurchase up to 25,000,000 shares of its common stock and any or all of its
outstanding 9 1/4% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2011. DaVita expects to enter
into a new senior credit facility to finance these repurchases.

The stock repurchase will be made through a tender offer that will commence on
or about Wednesday, March 20, 2002. The tender offer will not be contingent upon
any minimum number of shares being tendered, but will be contingent upon the
funding of the new senior credit facility and the consummation of the tender
offer for the notes and receipt of the requisite consents.

The note repurchase will be made through a tender offer that also will commence
on or about Wednesday, March 20, 2002. This tender offer will consist of the
offer to purchase, subject to the funding of the new senior credit facility and
other conditions to be set forth in the tender offer documents, of the
outstanding notes at a price to be determined by reference to a fixed spread
over the yield to maturity of certain U.S. Treasury Notes, plus accrued and
unpaid interest up to but not including the date of payment for the notes. In
connection with the note tender offer, DaVita will seek consents from the
holders of the notes to amend the indenture governing the notes by eliminating
substantially all restrictive provisions. Only holders of the notes who consent
to the proposed amendments by validly tendering their notes as of the consent
date will receive the consent payment, unless DaVita extends that date.

THIS PRESS RELEASE IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT AN OFFER TO BUY
OR THE SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO SELL ANY SHARES OR NOTES. THE SOLICITATION
AND THE OFFERS TO BUY DAVITA'S COMMON STOCK AND 9 1/4% NOTES WILL ONLY BE MADE
PURSUANT TO SEPARATE OFFERS TO PURCHASE AND RELATED MATERIALS THAT DAVITA WILL
BE SENDING OUT SHORTLY. SECURITY HOLDERS SHOULD READ THESE MATERIALS CAREFULLY
BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION, INCLUDING VARIOUS TERMS AND
CONDITIONS OF THE OFFERS. STOCKHOLDERS WILL BE ABLE TO OBTAIN THE OFFER TO
PURCHASE AND RELATED MATERIALS WITH RESPECT TO THE STOCK TENDER OFFER FREE AT
THE SEC'S WEBSITE AT WWW.SEC.GOV.

DaVita is a leading provider of dialysis services in the United States for
patients suffering from chronic kidney failure. DaVita owns and operates kidney
dialysis centers and home peritoneal dialysis programs in 32 states, as well as
Washington, D.C. It currently operates 493 outpatent dialysis facilities serving
approximately 43,000 patients and also provides acute hemodialysis services to
inpatients at approximately 270 hospitals.

This release contains forward-looking statements relating to such matters as
anticipated tender offers, financing arrangements and other similar matters.
Forward looking statements are identified by words such as "expects,"
"anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," or variations of such
words. A variety of known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors
could cause actual results and expectations to differ materially from the
anticipated results or expectations. Please refer to DaVita's Form 10-K for the
fiscal year ended December 31, 2001, for more information on these and other
risk factors that could cause actual results to differ. DaVita does not
undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions to such
forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date
hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.