SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Outset Medical, a commercial-stage company delivering first-of-its-kind technology into the growing global dialysis market, today announced the appointment of Tonya Saffer as the company's Head of Government Affairs and Market Access. Saffer joins Outset from the National Kidney Foundation (NKF), the largest patient-centric organization dedicated to the awareness, prevention and treatment of kidney disease in the U.S. In her role at Outset, Saffer will be responsible for leading government affairs, market access and patient engagement efforts for the company.

While at NKF, Saffer successfully led the foundation's overall federal agency engagement, including expanding opportunities to work with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Congress, and state agencies to support health professionals and healthcare systems to prevent, identify and treat chronic kidney disease (CKD).  She led the development and advocacy to implement new policies to improve value-based care for CKD at all stages and to increase the number of kidneys available for transplantation. Prior to NKF, Saffer worked at Avalere Health as Manager of Reimbursement and Product Commercialization, where she served as an advisor and expert on life science product launch, reimbursement strategies and strategic policy and advocacy activities with patient organizations.  

"We are thrilled to have Tonya on our team. Her deep understanding of health policy and kidney disease will help us achieve our mission to transform the dialysis experience," said Leslie Trigg, Chief Executive Officer at Outset. "While at the National Kidney Foundation, Tonya has been at the center of advocating for advances in kidney care that benefit patients. Her experience and insight will help drive Outset's patient engagement and government affairs, as well as support the company's efforts to make Tablo more accessible to patients."

"Outset is advancing kidney care with Tablo, a new patient-centered dialysis technology designed to make it easier for patients to manage their own care, as well as to enable new models of care in dialysis," said Saffer. "As a patient advocate, I have seen the struggle of patients living on dialysis, but I have also seen how empowering them to manage their own care can dramatically improve their physical and mental health and quality of life. The team at Outset is committed to changing the current dialysis paradigm. I'm honored to join them as we work towards the goal of empowering patients to have more choices and control over their kidney care."

Although more than 91 million dialysis treatments take place in the U.S. each year and an estimated $65 billion is spent on ESRD care, little meaningful technology or service model innovation has been introduced in decades. Tablo was specifically designed to reduce the cost and complexity of dialysis, while improving the experience for patients and providers. With real-time water purification and dialysis fluid production integrated in a single, compact system, Tablo functions like a dialysis clinic on wheels. Requiring just an electrical outlet and tap water to operate, Tablo frees providers from having to rely on expensive clinic infrastructure, enabling on-demand, cost-effective dialysis in a range of environments. Tablo was designed to look and feel like an intuitive consumer product, keeping end-user simplicity in mind. Wireless data, sensor-based automation, and an animated touchscreen aim to make Tablo easy to learn and use for healthcare professionals and patients alike.

About Outset Medical
Outset Medical is dedicated to delivering patient-centered dialysis through service model and technology innovation aimed at reducing cost and transforming the patient care experience. Outset's Tablo System is FDA-cleared and CE-marked for use in acute and chronic care settings. In addition to its acute and chronic care commercial expansion, the company is conducting a clinical trial exploring the use of Tablo for home dialysis. For more information, visit www.outsetmedical.com and follow the company on Twitter at @OutsetMedical.

SOURCE Outset Medical