The aging population, greater longevity, and medical advances mean that people are living longer with chronic illnesses. While medication is an efficient therapeutic strategy, the average rate of compliance is only 50%. As Everett Koop, MD said: "Drugs don't work in people who don't take them."

The NIH National Institute on Aging has awarded Leap of Faith Technologies a $969,089 grant to further develop their smartphone-based solution to the medication compliance problem called eMedonline(R) (www.emedonline.com). The system is designed to facilitate medication monitoring and compliance among chronic disease patients and the elderly.

Nearly 25% of all nursing home admissions and 25%-28% of all hospitalizations are due to noncompliance with medications. Providing the additional service of medication compliance monitoring can save 20-40% of the total health care costs and as much as 90% of long-term care costs.

"eMedonline is designed to facilitate aging in place and reduce the need for institutionalized care," explains Barbara Rapchak, CEO of Leap of Faith. "It goes beyond reminding patients to take their medications. It also helps them monitor their symptoms, side effects, and overall well-being using an off-the-shelf cellphone so they can stay mobile and be well."

eMedonline is a "smart service" that leverages the inherent abilities of wireless technologies like cellphones and RFID. Medication data read from an RFID tag on the medication package is collected wirelessly by the phone in real time and helps patients understand that they are taking the right drug at the right time, while tracking health status. Alerts can be triggered, allowing healthcare providers to intervene in the case of missed medications or adverse events before they become a significant health risk.

Patients in recent usability testing at NIH reported that the technology makes them feel more confident that they will be able to manage their illnesses. They said that the system was reassuring, kept them aware and in touch, and prevented them from disregarding important symptoms. The compliance data collected by the system helps providers and clinicians monitor health status and deliver better care, resulting in better outcomes for the patient and lower healthcare utilization costs for the payer.

Leap of Faith Technologies integrates existing and emerging technologies with behavioral informatics to improve patient compliance and healthcare outcomes.

Source: Leap Of Faith Technologies