Mobile app reminds patients to take their meds

According to the World Health Organization, only 50% of patients living with a chronic illness take their medication on time as directed. An American dies every 19 minutes from skipping medication or taking meds incorrectly, costing US hospitals more than $100 billion every year.

A new mobile app-the MediSafe Project-that uses cloud sync technology to help remind patients when it’s time to take their medication, and also sends their family, friends, and caregivers alerts if they miss a dose.

“The MediSafe Project allows patients to be more accountable for their care, so they can better manage their conditions, reduce the number of ER visits and have more control over their personal health – all leading to lower healthcare costs,” according to CEO and cofounder of the MediSafe Project, Omri  “Bob” Shor. 

“While barriers to medication adherence are complex and varied, the most common reason cited by patients is that they simply forgot to take their medication,” said Shor.  “This game-changing technology is the first medication reminder to leverage the power of people’s support systems to keep them healthier and compliant.

Shor was inspired to create the MediSafe Project when his father, who was a type 1 diabetic, double dosed on insulin.  After seeing his father experience that potentially fatal episode, Shor knew he had to create a solution to help patients better manage their medication.

Patients can receive alerts 3 ways: through the mobile application, using text messaging, or through a traditional landline.  If a patient does not take his/her medication, an alert is sent to a family member or friend who can then follow up directly with the patient. “Ripple effects from these changes benefit our entire society – from lower insurance premiums and healthcare costs to improvements in health outcomes,” said Shor.

The medication adherence solution alerts patient’s days before their prescription needs to be filled, helping to reduce missed doses if a pharmacy is closed.  The technology also provides the Prescription Page (doctors.medisafeproject.com), a method for doctors to prescribe the top-rated pillbox solution to patients, supporting the new patient-centered care model that’s being adopted by many primary care physicians, specialists, hospitals, and other healthcare organizations.

Since the launch in November 2012, the MediSafe Project app was downloaded 82,000 times; has 5 million views; and receives 1.4 million visits per month. The project reported 2.5 million medication doses reported taken correctly.