Traditional methods patients use to inform doctors of the medications they take may go the way of the horse and buggy, as new technology is available that could dramatically improve the safety and efficiency of the process. MedSnap, LLC, has introduced an iPhone app for health care providers that employs computer vision technology to identify an entire set of patient medications and check those medications for possible negative interactions.
Clinicians and hospitals, along with home health providers and pharmacies can use the new app, called MedSnap ID, to help manage the medication regimen of patients who have multiple prescriptions. The app can identify the names, doses and strength of many medications. Also, the technology can check critically important safety issues involving drug-drug interactions and drug-disease interactions, in addition to bringing to light errors in prescription writing and dispensing. Moreover, the execution of all these functions and provision of the information takes only seconds.
MedSnap is a health technology company whose mission is to improve medication safety and adherence. According to a recent IMS Health study, poor medication use by clinicians and patients costs $200 billion each year in the U.S., or 8% of all U.S. healthcare expenditures. Medsnap was founded by doctors who recognize these deficits in the health care system.
How Will MedSnap ID Change Medication History Taking?
“Medication history is a critical point of ensuring a safe medication experience,” says Dr. Patrick Hymel, MedSnap CEO and cofounder, reports Health Tech Zone. Traditionally, patients on multiple medications will bring a brown bag of their pill bottles with them to their doctor’s appointment for this purpose. The process of using such methods to provide a medication history is time-consuming and error prone, explains Hymel. “Our technology allows the patient to demonstrate what they actually take perhaps directly from their pill organizer.”
What Will Be the Impact of MedSnap ID on the Health Care System?
The new app is meant to assist with patient adherence to medication directives, a factor that is central to successful healthcare outcomes. According to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), nearly 75% of adults taking prescription medications do not take their medication as directed. This lack of adherence has certainly been a cause for concern among health care professionals.
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