What You Should Know:
– CVS introduced Spoken Rx™, a new feature of the CVS Pharmacy app that can read important prescription information out loud. It is vitally important for patient safety and adherence that prescription labels are clear and visible, but for patients with visual impairments or those who can’t read standard print labels, that’s not always the case.
– Spoken Rx provides an audible label option that reads important info such as patient name, medication name, dosage and directions, in either English or Spanish to ensure patients are taking the correct prescriptions, as prescribed.
– More than 7 million U.S. adults suffer from a visual disability, though that number is expected to increase exponentially in the coming years due to the increasing prevalence of diabetes and other chronic conditions.
CVS Pharmacy announced that it has developed Spoken Rx™, a new feature of the CVS Pharmacy app that can read a specific type of label for patients with visual impairments and those who cannot read standard print labels. Spoken Rx is the first in-app prescription reader application to be developed by a national retail pharmacy. The announcement is the result of the collaboration between CVS Pharmacy and the American Council of the Blind, which worked with CVS and tested the technology throughout its development.
RFID‐Tagged Prescription Label
Today, more than 7 million U.S. adults suffer from a visual disability, though that number is expected to increase exponentially in the coming years due to the increasing prevalence of diabetes and other chronic conditions. By the end of 2020, 1,500 CVS Pharmacy locations will be equipped to affix special RFID labels to prescription vials. When the RFID labels are scanned by Spoken Rx in the CVS Pharmacy app, which can be accessed by users using Siri or Google Assistant on their phones, prescription label information will be spoken out loud.
Enrollment in the program is seamless and can be done either over the phone or in-store where a pharmacist can ensure the patient’s app is appropriately set up for the service. Spoken Rx is free to CVS Pharmacy patients and the app will read prescription label information aloud in either English or Spanish.
This information, which is important for patient safety and adherence, currently includes patient name, medication name, dosage, and directions and will be enhanced to include additional information over the months to come. Spoken Rx will be available in all CVS Pharmacy locations by the end of 2021.
“The in-app feature gives patients more flexibility, providing the pertinent prescription information out loud wherever and whenever they need it,” said Ryan Rumbarger, Senior Vice President, Store Operations at CVS Health. “Spoken Rx provides a more seamless experience to our patients who are visually impaired.”
