Healthy.io partners with the National Kidney Foundation to help thousands of at-risk Americans prevent kidney failure

Free at-home test kit available to patients with diabetes who are at increased risk of developing kidney disease

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Nov 17, 2020, 08:04 ET

BOSTON, Nov. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Healthy.io, the category creator of smartphone urinalysis, is partnering with the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) to offer its home urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (uACR) test kit, free of charge, to people who find they are at risk for kidney disease via a one-minute quiz created by NKF as part of its "Are You the 33%?" public awareness campaign. The test kits help detect early signs of kidney disease, often before any symptoms are present.

Thirty-seven million adults in the U.S. are affected by kidney disease—but nearly 90% are unaware they have it. In addition, one in three adults in the U.S. is at risk for developing the disease. Treatment for kidney disease accounts for nearly a quarter of all Medicare spending, totaling more than $120 billion annually. By discovering kidney disease early, people can seek treatment and prevent the disease from progressing to end-stage renal disease or kidney failure and also reduce cardiovascular complications.

"Diagnosing kidney disease early is key to staving off its life-long complications, and if you have diabetes, you are at risk," said NKF Chief Medical Officer Joseph Vassalotti, MD. "We're pleased to partner with Healthy.io to help increase diagnosis of kidney disease through their unique at-home test and encourage patients with diabetes to work with their clinicians to take the necessary follow-up steps."

Healthy.io's partnership with NKF will enable thousands of Americans to complete a test called a urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (uACR) test from the comfort of their own home. After completing NKF's Kidney Risk Quiz, people at a higher risk for kidney disease can opt to receive a complimentary kit by mail. In addition, they will have access to NKF's educational materials, which will help them better understand kidney disease and how to discuss it with their healthcare professionals.

Among those at risk, less than 50% with diabetes and less than 10% with hypertension complete the recommended annual uACR test. In a joint study Healthy.io conducted with NKF and Geisinger in 2019, 71% of previously untested, consenting people used the at-home testing kit, and 89% stated they preferred home testing to traditional testing.

"Now more than ever, we need to enable more people to screen for conditions like kidney disease from the comfort of home. We're proud to partner with NKF and to offer our kits to people at risk for kidney disease, so they can get on a path to better health soon," said Paula LeClair, U.S. General Manager of Healthy.io.

To access the Kidney Risk Quiz, visit minuteforyourkidneys.org. For more information about Healthy.io, visit Healthy.io.

About the uACR test
Using an albumin and creatinine reagent stick, a patented color board, a smartphone camera and a guiding app, people can use Healthy.io's home uACR kit to receive results that are equivalent to traditional lab testing - in minutes. Healthy.io's kidney disease early detection service was created to help healthcare systems and organizations reach untested populations. In a joint study Healthy.io conducted with NKF and Geisinger in 2019, 71% of previously untested, consenting people used the at home testing kit, and 89% stated they preferred home testing to traditional testing.

About Kidney Disease
In the United States, 37 million adults are estimated to have chronic kidney disease—and approximately 90% don't know they have it. One in three American adults are at risk for chronic kidney disease. Risk factors for kidney disease include: diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and family history. People of African American, Hispanic, American Indian, Asian, or Pacific Islander descent are at increased risk for developing the disease. African Americans are almost four times more likely than White Americans to have kidney failure. Hispanics are 1.3 times more likely than non-Hispanics to have kidney failure.

About Healthy.io
Healthy.io is the global leader in turning the smartphone camera into a clinical grade medical device for smartphone urinalysis and wound management. By combining AI and machine learning for colorimetric analysis, best-in-class UX design, Healthy.io is expanding access to health care. The company's first offering — the only smartphone-powered urinalysis cleared by the FDA and European regulators as equivalent to lab-based testing — has been used by tens of thousands of patients using a range of smartphones. By giving people the same test in any location without a compromise in quality, Healthy.io is able to increase patient compliance and satisfaction, close gaps in care, and reduce total costs for payers and clinicians. Healthy.io is partnering with health care and technology leaders around the world including Siemens, Samsung, the UK National Health Service, Geisinger Health, Johns Hopkins University, and the US National Kidney Foundation. For more information, visit www.Healthy.io or follow us on Twitter @Healthyio1.

About the National Kidney Foundation
The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is the largest, most comprehensive, and longstanding patient-centric organization dedicated to the awareness, prevention, and treatment of kidney disease in the U.S. For more information about NKF, visit www.kidney.org.

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SOURCE National Kidney Foundation