BURNSVILLE, Minn. (November 13, 2019)—Ōmcare, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Anser Innovation, announced today that it will partner with Ecumen, a leading provider of housing and care resources for older adults, and Thrifty White Pharmacy, a Midwest-based pharmacy chain of retail, long-term care and telepharmacy locations, to evaluate the ability of the Ōmcare Telemed System to improve medication adherence, reduce costs and assist caregivers.
According to Lisa Lavin, founder and CEO of Ōmcare, the pilot will launch in early 2020 at select Ecumen assisted living communities in Minnesota. As part of the pilot, residents who currently receive door-delivered medication assistance will instead receive medication assistance from their caregivers via the Ōmcare Telemed System. The two-way, interactive Ōmcare video and medication dispensing system will be preloaded with pouched multi-dose medications from Thrifty White Pharmacy, per each individual’s prescription drug regimen.
The Ōmcare Telemed System gives caregivers of all types—physicians, pharmacists, care providers or family members—the ability to see and speak to those who need assistance with medication adherence and to confirm right pill, right time, right person. The easy-to-use Ōmcare system is designed to facilitate remote monitoring via visual confirmation of a patient’s actions, which supports telehealth and virtual care services and gives family members greater peace of mind.
“Ecumen and Thrifty White are ideal partners for this pilot because they share our passion for innovation and they have the infrastructure and expertise to test and validate the ability of the Ōmcare system to deliver on our promise of right pill, right time, right person,” said Lavin. “By combining remote care via video technology with the convenience of multi-dose packaging, we hope to demonstrate that this approach can save money while improving patient outcomes and the caregiving experience.”
Multi-dose packaging for pharmaceuticals is expected to grow at a rate of 5.9% between now and 2023. This growth is due in large part to the connection between the use of multi-dose packaging and improved medication adherence, which ultimately influences clinical outcomes and health care costs.
"We've been actively working to identify the best innovations in technology to support the independence and individual needs of those we serve," said Brett Anderson, vice president of health and clinical services, Ecumen. "Specific to medication administration, multi-dose packaging is both efficient and secure. We're excited to move towards a pilot in partnership with Thrifty White Pharmacy and Ōmcare to test this interactive technology."
Like Ōmcare and Ecumen, Thrifty White Pharmacy is also well-known for its innovation and commitment to integrating telemedicine capabilities into pharmacy delivery. In 2003, the company opened its first telepharmacy site. This concept allows a trained, certified and experienced pharmacy technician to fill and dispense prescription medications that have been verified by a pharmacist over an audio-video link. The success of this solution allowed Thrifty White Pharmacy to provide pharmacy services into communities that otherwise would have no prescription services.
“Our partnership with Ōmcare and Ecumen will allow us to help patients maintain independence as long as possible, while supporting the concept of aging in place in a way that has never been done,” said Tim Weippert, chief operating officer, Thrifty White. “Because medication adherence is one of the primary needs of our aging population, technology like the Ōmcare system can promote healthy outcomes and quality of life for patients and caregivers.”
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