CVS Pharmacy Offering New Spoken Rx App Feature
The new app feature will also soon function with smart labels, which can be scanned and read aloud.
CVS Pharmacy announced a new feature within its app, which can read a specific type of label for patients who are visually impaired and are unable to read the print labels on their prescriptions.
Spoken Rx is the first prescription reader offered within an app developed by a national retail pharmacy, according to CVS Pharmacy. CVS asserted that 1500 of its locations will be affixing special RFID labels, or smart labels, to prescription vials by the end of 2020. RFID labels will then be able to be scanned by Spoken Rx in the CVS Pharmacy app, and important information on the prescription label can be read aloud for ease of accessing patient safety and adherence information, as well as assisting those who have difficulties reading their prescription label.
App users can access scanned labels through Siri or Google Assistant on their phones; Spoken Rx will be offered in all CVS Pharmacy locations by the end of 2021.
CVS Pharmacy’s announcement was made possible through the involvement of the American Council of the Blind, which collaborated with CVS on the app and aided in testing during the development process.
Patients can enroll in the program over the phone or in store for free, where a pharmacist can assist in ensuring the app is set up properly. Spoken Rx has the capability to read a patient’s prescription label in both English and Spanish.
"Spoken Rx is a positive step that offers same-day, access for prescriptions filled in CVS stores, allowing for a greater level of privacy, safety, and independence for blind and visually impaired customers of all ages," said Kim Charlson, immediate past president of the American Council of the Blind.
More information on Spoken Rx and a list of stores currently offering the program can be found at CVS.com/spokenrx.
Reference
- CVS Pharmacy introduces new app feature for reading “talking” prescription labels. News Release. PRNewswire; July 8, 2020. Accessed July 10, 2020. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cvs-pharmacy-introduces-new-app-feature-for-reading-talking-prescription-labels-301089789.html.
