Walgreens is using a Norwalk company’s software platform to help motivate patients to take their medications, including through gamelike initiatives that reward patients with incentives redeemable at the drugstore chain.
HealthPrize Technologies, through its HealthPrize Action Engine patient-engagement and medication-adherence platform, will engage patients through Walgreens’ website. It’s expected to be offered to patients on certain brand-name diabetes medication later this quarter, then to patients with additional conditions such as GI, high cholesterol, depression, asthma and COPD by the end of the year, according to a news release from the companies.
The online program will be presented to pharmaceutical sponsors as a way to support patient adherence for prescribed medications.
The HealthPrize Action Engine platform utilizes gamelike elements, concepts from behavioral economics and incentives redeemable at Walgreens to motivate patients to engage and learn about their condition and to remain adherent to their medications. Participating patients may be offered weekly condition-related quizzes and surveys, daily health tips and fun facts, leaderboards and competitions, daily medication prompts via email or text message, monthly refill reminders and medication adherence scorecards, the release said.
The HIPAA-compliant program will also allow participating patients to track their other medications filled at Walgreens.
HealthPrize Technologies said about 125,000 people a year die in the U.S. because of skipping or forgetting their medication.
