During Covid-19, do older adults take their prescribed meds? Not necessarily. Medication non-adherence has long been a topic of concern, with the cost of poor adherence amounting to $177 billion each year, 50% of treatment failures, and as many as 25,000 deaths. And according to the Pharmacy Times, Covid-19 has made a problematic situation much worse. Some pharmacy experts express concern about the pandemic’s side effects of isolation, job loss/loss income, medication costs, missed or unavailable doctor’s appointments, or issues with package delivery. And the CDC has expressed concern about risks and modified procedures for older adults and pick-up of prescriptions in pharmacies.
Innovative pharmacy MedMinder, announced, today, the introduction of the first automatic pill dispenser with telemedicine capabilities focused on the elderly and chronically ill. The release comes at a time when these individuals are increasingly relying on remote medical solutions to meet their medical needs while allowing them to maintain their independence.
CANADA | JUNE 5, 2020 - AceAge Inc. a healthcare technology company, will be offering Karie, its in-home medication dispenser at participating Care Pharmacy locations across Ontario, British Columbia and Nova Scotia, with expansion to the rest of Canada coming soon. Karie is a device that automatically organizes and dispenses medication for patients, ensuring the most vulnerable citizens can access the medicine they need at the prescribed times without being reliant on outside intervention.
(Plano, TX) VitalTech announced today that its VitalCare platform for remote patient monitoring now includes a dedicated module for medications. Clinicians and patients can set medication reminders by time of day, which are then sent to the patient’s tablet or smartphone. These reminders can also be sent in the form of messages to VitalTech’s VitalBand smartwatch.
Medication non-adherence – it’s serious. This medication non-adherence (not filling prescriptions or missing dosages) is a major health issue – resulting in 10% of hospitalizations, 125,000 deaths, and costing the healthcare system up to $300 billion/year. Consider that 1 in 5 Medicare patients are re-admitted to the hospital within 30 days after discharge – half of them because of medication non-adherence. In a study by Walgreens, researchers found that every 1% improvement in adherence saves about $50 in healthcare spending.
Medication non-adherence – it’s serious. This medication non-adherence (not filling prescriptions or missing dosages) is a 