Medco Health Solutions is teaming up with Verizon to help patients access their prescription drug history from any location and identify alternatives to costly prescription drugs.
The Medco Pharmacy mobile app, available on Verizon Wireless Android handsets and Blackberry devices, gives patients the opportunity to review their medication history and drug plan at any time – including the doctor’s office. With real-time access to that data, a patient can discuss with his or her doctor any drug safety or coverage issues as well as cost-saving opportunities.
“The Medco Pharmacy mobile app provides innovative patient-specific pharmacy information that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the healthcare system,” said Tom Feitel, senior vice president of imagineering and innovation for Medco, based in Franklin Lakes, N.J. “It puts actionable information in front of patients so they’re able to share it with their physicians, even while still in the exam room, or the pharmacist before dispensing. It provides personalized results for the more than 65 million members we serve.”
The new app offers three features: A prescription ID card, My Medicine Cabinet, and My Rx Choices.
According to Medco officials, My Rx Choices delivers out-of-pocket costs for any prescription medication and lower-cost options based on the patient’s pharmacy plan coverage. It also allows registered members to share information with their doctor or pharmacist if a health or drug plan requires prior authorization before a prescription is filled, and it provides alerts to potential drug interaction risks by checking new medications against current prescribed medications.
My Medicine Cabinet offers the user a complete checklist of current prescribed medications, sets reminders to take those medications and order refills, and allows the user to check over-the-counter medications, vitamins and supplements for potential interactions with prescribed medications.
Officials say the mobile app gives users and clinicians quick and easy access to medication information, reducing the possibility of errors and allowing users to better plan their prescription expenses. Medco officials say 500,000 prescriptions are written each day for Medco members in which lower-cast alternatives are available.
“Wireless devices are part of the lifestyle as we know it today, and millions of people rely on their Blackberry and Android smartphones for instant information,” said Mike Ross, vice president of healthcare sales for Verizon Wireless, based in Basking Ridge, N.J. “Reliability is paramount to not only medical information, but for a network, too. Our combined technologies will give users a powerful tool that can help them manage their medical care.”
