Medipense “ Top 5 Reasons to Buy an Automated Pill Dispenser”

​Pill dispensers and organizers are available in many forms: plastic “dollar store” organizers to fully automated, multilingual, secure, connected devices. The RxPense is of the latter type. It was developed in response to an international market need of our rapidly aging society, but more importantly, also as a response to the personal errors experienced over the course of several years in caring for a loved one.

There are many good dispensers, in fact, all dispensers are good for varying levels of need. However, we contend that the best ones were designed for, and primarily serve, seniors. Hence, they can be used by anyone. Products designed for seniors focus on simplicity, usability, durability, security and reliability. They also communicate, remind, alert and record.

The Competition

We are always asked, “who are your competitors”? The answer is simple — We have 2 competitors, caregivers and appliances. Caregivers work around the clock to provide medications on schedule and emergency help when needed. These are dedicated individuals, caring people who work tirelessly to care for others. Caregivers can be professional and paid (34%) which may impose financial burdens on families. However, the majority (66%) of caregivers are unpaid family members, who unfortunately turn the burden onto themselves. While caregivers are human and occasionally make mistakes, nothing surpasses the comfort or quality of care afforded this human interaction. Unfortunately, with our “silver tsunami” we are quickly running out of caregivers.

But who cares for the caregivers? We previously discussed the topic in Caregivers Need Care Too, presenting facts about caregivers who often suffer from increased stress and decreased quality of life, among other afflictions? But, there is a shining light. Using the RxPense can not only relieve caregiver stress and ensure medications are taken properly, and on time, but also keeps the entire circle of care informed and updated in real-time. The reality is that the RxPense can not only help seniors remain adherent and connected, it can also relieve caregivers of some of their stress.

Assistive Devices

On the non-human, competitive landscape front, traditional medication assistive devices or pill dispensers suffer from major issues including errors of capacity, manual filling, lack of communications, insufficient monitoring, accessibility, reliability and no, or very poor, security.

Worse yet, dispensers that require specialty packaging for the medications, require the use of their own specialty pharmacies. These pharmacies have invested in expensive robotic packaging machinery to supply custom pouches or sachet packaging that can only hold up to 4 or 5 meds. This packaging, commonly used in a hospital setting for acute care, easily tears and is provided in long, sequential strips to carefully insert into the dispenser. The devices which support the automated delivery of these sachets, do not prevent over-dosing.

Statistically, 80% of seniors miss a dose. When a senior misses a dose, the sachet device can only release the missed dose, along with the current dose. Seniors, especially those taking 5–15 medications, will receive many sachets full of meds which can lead to overdosing.

Why pay $60 to $150 monthly for devices that force you to buy medications, at their price, at their pharmacy? Why buy a product that requires you to manually fill and sort medications into their device, take responsibility for your filling errors, require you to manually program the device and scares seniors with moving eyes on the screen? Why pay for a product in which anyone can just push a button to release pills? Why buy a product that can simply be lifted and placed in a coat pocket?

The answer is simple, don’t! For seniors there is really only 1 solution, the RxPense.

The Best Automated Pill Dispenser for Seniors

Why the RxPense is better:

1. Keep your existing pharmacy & pharmacist: every pharmacy already does, or can easily fill blister packages with all your medications. Pharmacists can do this manually or with a special robot. As a senior, you benefit from consistency of dealing with a pharmacist who knows you, a pharmacy and pharmacist with whom you have already built a relationship. Other devices require specialty pharmacies to supply your meds, which may only seal up to 4 or 5 meds per package. RxPense on the other hand uses blister packaging, sealed by the pharmacist which may hold up to 15 meds per dose.
2. Monitor and Improve Adherence, facilitates medication reconciliation: the RxPense improves adherence by reminding you to take your meds and notifies your caregiver or circle of care team when you do not. All medications, schedule, doses and details are available at the touch of a button, to allow your pharmacist to perform a MedsCheck or medication reconciliation.
3. Emergency Help, when needed: Tapping support or emergency information on the RxPense displays a complete picture of your health, medications, history and contact details of your caregivers. Use of Panique, our panic button and fall detector accessory further ensures those who need to know, are notified.
4. Prevent theft, under-consumption or over-dosing: the RxPense is locked and requires authentication to open, consume meds or operate. Medication dose times are respected and additional doses or incorrect dose times are prevented. Meds that have already been skipped or missed, remain inside, locked and will not be dispensed.
5. Circle of Care: maintains close connections with family, friends, physicians, pharmacists, clinicians and caregivers. The important people in your life are always connected. They receive alerts when you don’t take your pills, panic or fall. They can log into the portal to review your adherence and view any vitals collected from third-party wearables or devices.

Medipense has spent years researching medication errors, dispensing problems, senior and caregiver concerns. The result is a world-class assistive device, the RxPense. Need other reasons to enjoy the RxPense?

• Blister Package Automation: automatically opens blister packaged medications though a patented process. Eliminates manual opening.
• Security, physical & virtual: medications can not be removed or viewed once locked into the RxPense®, until it is time to take them. Biometric/RFID/PIN identification and authorization levels determine who can access and consume. Image of consumer can be captured.
• Validation: When inserted into the RxPense®, Patient Data is automatically captured from header/barcode on sealed blister-packaged medications prepared by the pharmacy. Medications, Patient, Machine and Pharmacy must match the patient profile or EHR.
• Medications: Dispense up to 2 weeks’ complex medication regimens (15 pills per dose). Additional reminders for PRN, OTC and liquids. Control of opioids and high value meds.
• Alerts: Audible alarms and voice recordings as reminders, image and video capture during use.
• Multilingual: English, French and Spanish out of the box. Other languages downloadable.
• Cloud-based Portal: Extensive organizational, sub-org, divisional and location-based management of entire population of devices, caregivers and patients, updates, permissions and privacy. At-a-glance population views and monitoring. Perfect for seniors, caregivers, clinicians, administrators, institutions, organizations and governments.
• Surveys: Completely integrated custom survey creation and delivery to patients, before during or after medication consumption.
• Delivery: Medications physically/robotically removed from the blister package and provided to the patient, with instructions for consumption. Perfect for Elderly and arthritic conditions.
• Missed Dose Skip: When a dose is missed, caregivers are notified. Patented robotics ensure the patient is prevented from double-dosing next time.
• Panic/Fall Detection: Panique™ personal pendant that serves as a fall-detector, panic button and authentication device.
• Support: 1 button emergency or caregiver contact assistance.
• Reports: manage/consolidate groups of patients, vitals and medication compliance reports.
• Other: large touch screen, battery backup, emergency information, full audit trail, compliance history.

For more details or a live demo, contact us today.

Originally published at https://medipense.com on November 23, 2019.