In an attempt to stem the tide of patients not closely following their prescriptions, Norwalk-based HealthPrize Technologies today announced that it has entered into a partnership with Walgreens to offer its HealthPrize Action Engine, which in part through gaming helps patients adhere to their prescription regimen.
It is estimated that patients not abiding by the recommendations on their prescriptions cause “$290 billion of otherwise avoidable cost to the U.S. health care system each year, including poor health outcomes,” according to the announcement.
“This platform gives us another opportunity to help improve patient adherence and outcomes, furthering our commitment to being a patient champion and partner of choice,” said Greg Orr, Walgreens Boots Alliance senior director of digital health.
The program will finish development later this month and will be co-marketed by both companies to pharmaceutical sponsors, according to the announcement. It will be offered to patients filling certain brand-name prescriptions on the Walgreens website for chronic conditions such as diabetes, high cholesterol, depression, asthma and COPD.
“We are pleased to be able to offer the HealthPrize platform to select Walgreens patients through this collaboration,” said Tom Kottler, CEO and co-founder of HealthPrize, which started in September 2009 and today has 25 employees. “This will also give health care brands an omnichannel approach to educating and motivating patients to take their medications and achieve improved health outcomes.”
The platform utilizes games, such as condition-related quizzes and surveys.
In addition, patients will also receive daily medication prompts via email or texts and monthly refill reminders and medication adherence scorecards. The program would also let patients track any of their other medications filled at Walgreens.
In announcing the closing of its Series B round of financing in June, HealthPrize said it planned to expand into “other health care verticals including the payer market, risk-bearing provider groups and self-insured employers.”
In addition to Walgreens, HealthPrize”™s other partners include West Pharmaceutical in West Whiteland, Pennsylvania, WestRock in Norcross, Georgia, and Noble in Orlando, Florida.
