Bottle Cap Reminds People To Take Medications
CAMBRIDGE (CBS) -- Donald Grossman of Cambridge is healthy and active, but in order to stay that way, he has to take medication for high blood pressure.
"My father had some issues and mine is probably hereditary," he said.
Hypertension is known as the silent killer because it has no symptoms, which makes it tough to remember that daily dose. "Sometimes I say, 'Did I really take it this morning?'" Grossman said.
Now Don knows for sure because the cap on his pill bottle won't let him forget.
It's called the Glow Cap by Vitality.
WBZ-TV's Paula Ebben reports.
"It's the world's first internet-connected medication packaging," explained company CEO David Rose.
The Glow Cap uses a flashing light and a ring tone to gently remind patients to take their medication. If that doesn't work, it goes one step further.
"If you haven't opened it for a few hours, it will text message or send you an email or dial your home phone," he said.
The Glow Cap also keeps family members and doctors in the loop by emailing them a record of exactly when the patient took their pills. Need a refill? Simply press the button on the inside of the cap and it will contact your pharmacy.
Rose says the Glow Cap can make it easier for children of elderly patients to who are reluctant to leave their home for an assisted living or nursing home facility. "It's one of the few levers we have to keep people at home," he said.
The idea behind the Glow Cap is more than just keeping people healthy, it's also about money. People who don't take their medications get sick and that means higher health care costs for all of us.
"The New England Health Institute just quantified the problem of medication non-adherence at $290," Rose said.
The cap costs about $10 and there is a $15 monthly service fee. For some expensive medications, drug companies are starting to pick up the cost of the cap.
It's a bottom line issue for them because they lose millions every year when people forget their meds.
People like Don are on their own, but he thinks it's a small price to pay. "I think it's a great idea. I mean I think it really helps me," he said.
