LaFond's extensive healthcare experience will help accelerate growth and commercialization in the U.S. market
BOSTON, Feb. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Healthy.io, the developer of the first and only FDA-cleared smartphone-powered at-home kidney test, today announced the appointment of Becca LaFond as the company's new U.S. General Manager.
LaFond will work closely with Healthy.io partners to scale the commercialization of its Minuteful Kidney service while enhancing execution across payers, systems, and pharmaceutical companies. Her role will help grow Healthy.io's innovative CKD testing solution, which helps at-risk members across all income levels and locations to easily test their kidneys from home, averting the progression of kidney disease and dialysis treatments.
LaFond brings over two decades of experience in the healthcare industry and expertise in optimizing operations through technology for better outcomes. Recently, LaFond helped scale Empiric Health, eventually overseeing its acquisition by Olive AI— where she leveraged AI to enhance operating performance for a diverse customer portfolio of healthcare providers and payers.
"I'm excited to join the company that introduced a revolutionary solution for kidney testing, unlocking access for millions of Americans by enabling them to test from home and get immediate clinical-grade results," noted LaFond. "Kidney disease is one of our country's deadliest diseases, and it impacts minorities and underserved populations disproportionately. When diagnosed early, simple treatments can help halt or reverse CKD, leading to better health outcomes. Empowering at-risk patients to follow up and reengage with their care is our top priority."
75 million Americans are at-risk for kidney disease, also known as the silent killer. Healthy.io's Minuteful Kidney solution is a smartphone-powered albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR) test. An ACR is a simple urine test that checks protein levels in a person's urine and is the earliest marker for CKD. The Minuteful Kidney solution enables seamless follow-up with care and data integration.
Those at risk for kidney diseases— including people with diabetes and hypertension— should take an ACR test annually, but only 20% of these at-risk people do. Among the 37 million adults estimated to have kidney disease, approximately 90% don't know they have it until it's too late.
Healthy.io recently crossed the one million patient assessments mark, with people across the U.S. and U.K. using their smartphones to test for chronic illness. Healthy.io has agreements in place with major health plans and multinational pharmaceutical companies while expanding into chronic wound monitoring solutions.
The addition of LaFond to Healthy.io's executive suite marks a continued expansion of its leadership team. The company named Geoff Martin CEO last month to further the commercialization process and accelerate the sales and integration of Healthy.io in U.S. markets, while Founder Yonatan Adiri transitioned to the role of President to lead the company's long-term strategy and activities with public systems that shape public health policy.
"We're excited to have Becca join the team to drive our next phase of expansion," said Healthy.io CEO Geoff Martin. "Her experience will be a critical part of Healthy.io's new phase of growth, where we'll broaden our service to meet Americans where they are, when they need us, working to curb the spread of kidney disease nationwide."
To learn more about Healthy.io, please visit: https://healthy.io
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SOURCE Healthy.io
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