Focusing on dialysis patients, Ms. Litchfield brings patient advocacy perspective to their board
BROOMFIELD, Colo., May 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Today, Alio announced Terry Litchfield has joined its Board of Directors as an observer. Ms. Litchfield is a leading voice in the dialysis field, especially regarding patient needs. She will be responsible for supporting Alio’s goals for creating a seamless patient experience delivering peace of mind to people on dialysis.
Ms. Litchfield has been a fierce patient advocate in the dialysis space for over 30 years. Her expertise was shaped by her years of experience supporting her late husband Bill through his 46 years of renal replacement therapy prior to his death. While completing her master’s thesis on rehabilitation in end stage kidney disease (ESKD), she met Bill Litchfield, who had become one of the first dialysis patients in the U.S. in 1968. Renal replacement therapy sustained Bill’s life for more than four and a half decades, making him the longest surviving dialysis patient in the U.S. Terry and Bill were married for over 30-years.
In addition to her pioneering work in patient advocacy for chronic kidney disease (CKD) and hemodialysis, Ms.Litchfield has also been an executive in the renal industry for over thirty years. Terry co-founded Lifeline Vascular Care in 1997, the largest U.S. network of freestanding vascular centers dedicated to CKD and dialysis patients. She was also a member of the founding team for RMS Disease Management, a Baxter affiliate focused on renal disease management. Best known for her outcomes research in disease management for CKD and dialysis, she has authored multiple publications in the field.
“Alio is an impressive monitoring technology, with the potential to accomplish much positive change in the dialysis world,” according to Ms. Litchfield. “As more patients transition to home dialysis, the use of technology will give patients and their family the security of knowing their condition and vitals are being monitored. Wireless, noninvasive remote monitoring of dialysis patients is a significant unmet clinical need. With Alio, remote monitoring is coupled with clinically actionable notifications to the patient’s care team. This represents the potential to significantly improve patient quality of life and greatly reduce patient anxiety over adverse health events associated with dialysis. For me, working with Alio provides an opportunity to advance kidney care in the U.S. to a new level.”
Ms. Litchfield is active in a number of kidney and dialysis patient organizations such as Dialysis Patient Citizens, the American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP), and Kidney Health Initiative’s (KHI) Patient and Family Partnership Council. In 2018, she was awarded the American Society of Diagnostic and Interventional Nephrology Lifetime Achievement Award.
“Alio will benefit significantly from Terry’s insights, compassion, and leadership in dialysis and CKD patient advocacy. Her commitment and well documented contributions to the dialysis community make her an incredible addition to the Alio Board of Directors,” said Dave Kuraguntla, Alio’s co-founder and CEO. “Terry has largely shaped how patients experience kidney care today and we are honored to have her share her expertise with our organization.”
Last month, Alio secured its first 510(k) clearance from the FDA for its remote monitoring system intended for use by healthcare professionals to intermittently collect physiological data in home use settings. Alio continues to gather clinical evidence to support additional filings in the coming months. Ms. Litchfield’s experiences will support Alio’s stakeholder engagement process.
