Item 1A. Risk Factors

In addition to the following risk factor and the other information set forth in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, you should carefully consider the risk factors discussed in Part I, Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K (our Form 10-K) for the year ended December 31, 2020 and any subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which could materially affect our business, financial condition, results of operations or future results. The risks and uncertainties discussed below, in our Form 10-K in any subsequent filings with the SEC are not the only ones facing our business. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial may materially adversely affect our business, cash flows, financial condition and/or results of operations. The risk factor below updates, and should be read together with, the risk factors disclosed in Part I, Item 1A of our Form 10-K. Please also read the cautionary notice regarding forward-looking statements in Part I, Item 2 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q under the heading "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations."

We face various risks related to the dynamic and evolving novel coronavirus pandemic, many of which may have a material adverse impact on us.

The disease caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is impacting the world and our business in many different ways. The ultimate impact of COVID-19 on us will depend on future developments that are highly uncertain and difficult to predict, including among other things, the severity and duration of the pandemic; further spread or resurgence of the virus, including as a result of the emergence of new strains of the virus such as the Delta variant; COVID-19's impact on the chronic kidney disease (CKD) patient population and our patient population; the availability, acceptance, impact and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, treatments and therapies; the pandemic’s continuing impact on the U.S. and global economies, unemployment and labor market conditions; the responses of our competitors to the pandemic and related changes in the marketplace; the timing, scope and effectiveness of federal, state and local government responses; and any potential changes to the extensive set of federal, state and local laws, regulations and requirements that govern our business. The impact could come in many forms, including but not limited to those described below.

• We have experienced and expect to continue to experience a negative impact on revenue and non-acquired growth from COVID-19 due to lower treatment volumes, including from the negative impact on our patient census. Because ESRD patients may be older and generally have comorbidities, several of which are risk factors for COVID-19, we believe the mortality rate of infected patients has been higher in the dialysis population than in the general population, and COVID-19 also could impact the CKD population differently. Over the longer term, we believe that changes in mortality in both the CKD and ESRD populations due to COVID-19 will depend primarily on the infection rate, case fatality rate, the age and health status of affected patients, and access to and continued efficacy of vaccinations or other treatments or therapies, as well as willingness to be vaccinated. We expect that the impact of COVID-19 is likely to continue to negatively impact our revenue and non-acquired growth even as the pandemic subsides due to the compounding impact of mortalities, among other things. However, determining the extent to which these impacts should be directly attributable to COVID-19 is difficult due to testing and reporting limitations, and other factors that may drive treatment volumes and new admissions over time, such as the number of transplants or deferred admissions. The magnitude of these cumulative impacts has been significant and, depending on the ultimate severity and duration of the pandemic could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

• Our business is labor intensive and our financial and operating results have been and continue to be sensitive to variations in labor-related costs and productivity, and we have historically faced and expect to continue to face costs and difficulties in hiring and retaining caregivers due to a nationwide shortage of skilled clinical personnel. These challenges have been heightened by the increased demand for and demand upon such personnel by the ongoing pandemic. Despite improving indicators in certain sectors of the U.S. economy as compared to earlier periods of the pandemic, the labor market continues to experience volatility, uncertainty and labor supply shortages, particularly in healthcare. In addition, a September 2021 Executive Order (Vaccine EO) directed federal agencies to develop rules and take action related to COVID-19 vaccination requirements, including rules that may impact employers with 100 or more employees as well as workers in the dialysis setting. This announcement builds on, and would be in addition to,

previously announced state and local vaccination requirements that impact our teammates in certain facilities or geographies. The cumulative impact of these mandates, some of which have already gone into effect, contributes further to the volatility and uncertainty in the labor market and may ultimately further exacerbate labor shortages. Labor market conditions have led to increased costs that we generally expect to continue and which could be significant. In addition, these conditions have adversely impacted, and may continue to adversely impact, our ability to attract and retain employees, particularly clinical personnel. In response, as part of our continuing efforts in this highly competitive market, we expect to provide our teammates with additional compensation, among other things. Nevertheless, we have experienced staffing shortages and disruptions as a result of current labor market conditions, and further staffing shortages or disruptions, if material, could lead to the closure of certain centers or otherwise have a material adverse impact on our ability to provide dialysis services or the cost of providing those services. Prolonged volatility, uncertainty and labor supply shortages in the labor market, including, among other things, due to inflationary pressures or evolving monetary policies, could have an adverse impact on our ability to execute on our strategic initiatives, and ultimately could have a material adverse impact on our labor costs, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

• The COVID-19 pandemic and efforts to contain the virus have impacted the global economy, resulting in, among other things, rapid and sharp increases in unemployment levels and volatility and uncertainty in labor market conditions as discussed in more detail above. These impacts could ultimately result in a materially reduced share of our patients being covered by commercial insurance plans, with more patients being covered by lower-paying government insurance programs or being uninsured. These effects may persist after the pandemic subsides as, among other things, our patients could experience permanent changes in their insurance coverage as a result of changes to their employment status. In the event such a material reduction occurs in the share of our patients covered by commercial insurance plans, it would have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. The extent of these effects will depend upon, among other things, the extent and duration of the increased unemployment levels for our patient population, any economic deterioration or potential recession; the timing and scope of federal, state and local governmental responses to the ongoing pandemic; and patients’ ability to retain existing insurance and their individual choices with respect to their coverage, all of which are highly uncertain and difficult to predict.

• We have dedicated and continue to dedicate substantial resources in response to COVID-19 and have had, and expect to continue to have, extended and significant additional costs in connection with our response to COVID-19. The steps we have taken designed to help safely maintain continuity of care for our patients and help protect our caregivers, such as our policies to implement dedicated care shifts for patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 and other enhanced clinical practices, have increased our expenses and use of personal protective equipment (PPE). Our response to COVID-19 also has resulted in higher salary and wage expense, and we have provided, and are likely to provide in the future, substantial financial support to our teammates, including support associated with relief reimbursement. Furthermore, the effort and cost needed to procure certain of our equipment and clinical supplies, including PPE, have substantially increased, and we expect these increased costs will continue while the pandemic persists, and certain of these increased costs may persist for some time even after the pandemic subsides due to the challenges of global supply chains. These efforts are part of a wider Prepare, Prevent, Respond and Recover protocol that we have implemented in connection with the pandemic, which also includes operational initiatives such as the redistribution of teammates, machines and supplies across the country as needed and increased investment in and utilization of telehealth capabilities. In addition, certain state and federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) agencies have released requirements, or are considering or are in the process of modifying existing requirements associated with the continued protection of employees as it relates to COVID-19. These requirements will result in increased costs related to, among other things, PPE, fit-testing, and paid time off and other increased obligations with which we must comply. Compliance with COVID-19-related safety rules and regulations is enforced with sanctions, fines, as well as potential for negative publicity or reputational impact. As this standard is still in development, we cannot anticipate the impact it might have on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. In addition, any mandated surveillance testing of our teammates for COVID-19 may further impact our costs, create operational challenges and negatively impact our ability to attract and retain employees and creates a risk of non-compliance if we are not able to successfully implement such mandated surveillance testing. If the pandemic requires us to maintain certain restrictive operational protocols for an extended period of time, it may adversely impact our strategic initiatives, such as our strategy to continue to build our abilities to offer home dialysis options and expanding our integrated care capabilities. Certain temporary changes made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic could become permanent, which could have an adverse impact on our business. In addition, any equipment or clinical supply shortages, disruptions or delays or associated price increases could impact our ability to provide dialysis services or the cost of providing those services.

• If we experience a failure of the fitness of our clinical laboratory, dialysis centers and related operations and/or other facilities as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, or another event or occurrence adversely impacts the safety of our caregivers or patients, we could face adverse consequences, including without limitation, material negative impact on our brand, increased litigation, compliance or regulatory investigations, teammate unrest, work stoppages or other workforce disruptions. Any legal actions brought by patients, teammates, caregivers or others allegedly exposed to COVID-19 at our facilities or by our caregivers may involve significant demands and require substantial legal defense costs, which may not be adequately covered by our professional and general liability insurance.

• State and local social distancing restrictions and guidance have required us to significantly increase the use of remote arrangements for our teammates and telehealth technology for our dialysis patients, which broadens our technology footprint for where and how protected health information is used or disclosed, and in turn increases our exposure to the various privacy and information security risks we face, such as the risk of "phishing" and other cybersecurity attacks and the risk of unauthorized dissemination of sensitive personal, proprietary or confidential information.

• We have worked with certain government agencies and other kidney care providers to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, and in certain cases have sought waivers of regulatory requirements. For example, as part of our efforts to help cohort patients in line with guidance from the CDC, we have sought waivers of certain regulatory requirements related to the survey and acceleration of new clinics and entered into agreements with other kidney care providers to help ensure that patients can receive dialysis in an outpatient setting rather than a hospital. In addition, we continue to make COVID-19 vaccines available to patients and teammates, including through coordination with state and federal governments on direct vaccine distribution so that we can administer vaccines to our patients and teammates. Certain of these vaccines are currently available under emergency use authorizations and there can be no assurance that our patients and caregivers will choose to receive a COVID-19 vaccine or that the vaccines will prove to be as safe and effective as currently understood by the scientific community, particularly as it relates to variants of the virus. In addition, we may encounter difficulties with the availability, storage of the vaccine, or administration of the vaccines, some of which have multiple dose requirements or may require the administration of “boosters”. We operate in a complex and highly regulated environment, and the novel nature of our COVID-19 response, including, for example, with respect to regulatory waivers, our administration of the COVID-19 vaccines and our efforts to comply with evolving rules and regulations, may increase our exposure to legal, regulatory and clinical risks.

• Our need, ability and willingness to use and retain any provider relief or other funds or assistance from the government, the consequences of our decisions with respect thereto, our ability to operate within any restrictions on our business or operations that may be imposed as a condition to participation in any government assistance programs, and the impact of any such programs on our competitors, all will depend, among other things, on the magnitude, timing and nature of COVID-19’s impact on the Company as well as the requirements of any such programs, which are uncertain. There can be no assurance that financial or other assistance will be available from the government if we have a need for such assistance in the future.

• If general economic conditions deteriorate further or remain uncertain for an extended period of time, we may incur future charges to recognize impairment in the carrying amount of our goodwill and other intangible assets. We may experience an increased need for additional liquidity funded by accessing existing credit facilities, raising new debt in the capital markets, or other sources, and we may seek to refinance existing debt, which may be more difficult or costly as a result of the pandemic’s impact on capital markets or on us. Furthermore, any extended billing or collection cycles, or deterioration in collectability of accounts receivable, will adversely impact our results of operations and cash flows.

• In our value-based care and other programs where we assume financial accountability for total patient cost, an increase in COVID-19 rates among patients could have an impact on total cost of care. This increase may in turn impact the profitability of those programs relative to their respective funding.

• The global nature of the pandemic may have varying impacts on our ongoing operations outside the United States, and may impact our ability to expand our operations into other parts of the world.

The foregoing and other continued impacts and disruptions to our business as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic could have a material adverse impact on our patients, teammates, physician partners, suppliers, business, operations, reputation, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and/or liquidity. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic heightens many of the other risks and uncertainties discussed herein and in the 2020 10-K, including those discussed in Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors in the 2020 10-K. For additional information related to COVID-19 and its impact on our business, see the discussion in Part I, Item 2, “Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of this Quarterly

Report on Form 10-Q under the heading, "COVID-19 and its impact on our business" and Part I, Item 1. Business of the 2020 10-K under the heading "Human Capital Management."

Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

Share repurchases

The following table summarizes our repurchases of our common stock during the third quarter of 2021:

Effective on December 10, 2020, the Board terminated all remaining prior share repurchase authorizations available to us and approved a new share repurchase authorization of $2.0 billion. We are authorized to make purchases from time to time in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions, including without limitation, through accelerated share repurchase transactions, derivative transactions, tender offers, Rule 10b5-1 plans or any combination of the foregoing, depending upon market conditions and other considerations.

As of October 27, 2021, we had a total of $891 million available under the current authorization for additional share repurchases. Although this share repurchase authorization does not have an expiration date, we remain subject to share repurchase limitations including under our current senior secured credit facilities.

Items 3, 4 and 5 are not applicable