Health Apps

Keeping track of information and directions that go along with health conditions and medications can be very overwhelming. From knowing when and how to take medications to making sure not to run out of refills, apps can often be a useful tool to keep track of everything. KnowYourMeds is a free app that helps patients record their vitals, set pill reminders, monitor for drug interactions and side effects, and stay up to date on the latest health information. KnowYourMeds is compatible with both Android and iPhone devices, and the app contains multiple sections that help patients manage their medications, conditions, and overall health. The app is also very user-friendly. It contains a home page where all of the patient’s medication reminders are listed, and it allows the patient to check off when they have taken a medication. In the bottom corner of the home page, there is a “plus sign” that allows the patient to easily add a dependent, a condition, an allergy, a side effect, or a medication to their profile. The app also contains a side bar so that the patient can easily navigate the different sections of the app, such as “My Conditions,” “Medication Interactions,” and “My Dependents.”

In the app, patients can create a profile and add their medications, including the name and dose, how often it needs to be refilled, and the directions for how to take it. The app uses this information to set pill alerts and refill reminders. Additionally, patients can enter any side effects or allergies they have experienced in the past into the app as a reminder to mention this information to their doctor or pharmacist. The app also allows patients to enter medications to check for interactions or lookup research articles in the PubMed database to learn about their health conditions.

The app connects the patient’s medication to the health condition it is treating, offering the patient a list of health conditions for the patient to select from. This feature helps patients manage the condition, as well as the medication. Patients can also add other health conditions, not directly associated to any medications, into the app. The condition management section of the app includes condition-specific information, such as recommendations for how often to see the doctor and get lab tests, which vaccines are recommended for the condition, and which vital signs should be monitored. The app also gives patients the opportunity to track these vital signs within the app by entering blood pressure, heart rate, blood glucose, and weight, including the time and date recorded.

Additionally, patients can create “Dependent Profiles” to manage the medications and health conditions of individuals they care for.. At this time, the app does not allow for the sharing of profiles between devices. For instance, an elderly patient cannot share their KnowYourMeds profile on their own device to the device of a caretaker. The caretaker would have to create a new dependent profile on their own KnowYourMeds app for the elderly patient.

Overall, the KnowYourMeds app provides one simple location that patients can use to manage their own medications and health conditions or those of the people they care for. It can serve as a great source of information about medications and health conditions to help patients understand their health more fully.

To learn more, visit the KnowYourMeds website at: https://mobile.knowyourmeds.com/ and check out these snapshots of the app screens.

Posted: March 2021

What’s Covered app is the only official Medicare coverage app by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). This free app allows the user to understand the items and services covered by Medicare Part A and Part B. Intended users are anyone covered by Medicare for their health care benefits, with the target population being people 65 years and older. Available languages include English and Spanish.

When first opening the app, users can search for an item or service on the home screen. At the bottom of the home screen, there is an option to browse all items and services built into the app. Preventative services, such as bone mass measurements, diabetes screenings, flu shots and more, are provided to Medicare covered patients at no cost and can be browsed separately.  These services are denoted by an apple icon.

After finding the item or service the user is looking for, a page will appear and show if the item or service is covered by Medicare. Covered items or services will have a large green check mark followed by “covered”, and non-covered items or services will have a large red X followed by “not covered.” For covered items or services, the user can read if it is covered through Part A or B, and who is eligible. After the coverage section, there is an explanation about cost for the item or service, including information about copayments, deductibles or coinsurance. Lastly, there are additional notes about the item or service and where to get more information.

The app does not include information on Medicare Advantage Plans, standalone Medicare Part D plans, other Medicare health plans, or Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) coverage. It does not include a CPT code search, exact costs for surgeries or procedures, or local coverage decisions.

The What’s Covered app is currently available for free on both iOS and Android devices through the Apple App Store or Google Play.

Posted: June 2019

PHSI occasionally shares information on new Apps that may be beneficial to our colleagues and their families.  One such app is Belay, a food allergy management app that allows parents to share their child’s food allergy information with any caregivers their children may encounter, such as teachers, coaches, babysitters, bus drivers, friends, and others. Belay users can download the app for free on IOS devices through the App Store and on Android devices through the Google Play Store.

Parents begin using the app by creating a profile for their child. First, parents provide some basic demographic information about their child and a list of what foods their child has allergies to. If applicable, the parent can also include information about whether their child has experienced an anaphylactic reaction, including what a typical reaction looks like for their child.

Next, parents can add some safe food options for their child ranging from snacks, food cooked at home, and what to order when eating out.

Then, parents can put an emergency plan in place for their child. The emergency plan includes which type of epinephrine auto-injector their child uses, if their child has asthma and/or carries a rescue inhaler, and if their child takes any other medications after injecting epinephrine.  The profile also lists emergency contacts and the contact’s relationship to the child. Parents can even include a picture of the location of their child’s epinephrine auto-injector.

Upon completing their child’s profile, parents can send the profile out to any of the child’s caregivers. Caregivers never have to download the app. Instead, a web link gets sent via SMS text message to the caregiver’s phone. From there, the caregivers can add the child’s profile to their phone’s home screen for quick and convenient access. In addition to the basic information from the child’s profile, caregivers can also view information about how to identify a reaction and when to use epinephrine. The Belay app also provides the caregiver with the child’s stepwise emergency plan and details what the caregiver should do at each step.

If a parent no longer wishes to share their child’s information with a caregiver, the parent can delete that caregiver from their child’s profile on the Belay app. Deleting the caregiver causes the child’s profile to no longer work on the caregiver’s phone, and they will no longer have access to information from the child’s profile.

PHSI believes that if you have a child with food allergies, the Belay app can assist you in managing their food allergies by increasing caregiver awareness of your child’s food allergies. This can help caregivers prevent children from experiencing food allergy reactions in a more effective manner. The Belay app can also assist you in managing your child’s food allergies by helping caregivers provide the necessary treatment if your child does have a reaction.

Posted: February 2019

Medical professionals are required to complete a certain number of Continuing Education (CE) hours. For example, pharmacists in the state of Pennsylvania must complete 30 contact hours of Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE)-approved pharmacist continuing education every 2 years. See the diagram below for more details on the PA requirements for pharmacist license renewals.

The ACPE Continuing Education (CE) Requirements for Pennsylvania Pharmacists[i]:

The RealCME App allows health professionals to complete continuing education requirements on-the-go on their mobile devices. RealCME has been accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) as well as the AMA, AAFP, AANP, AAPA, ANCC, AOA, APA, COPE, and other organizations. This app offers free CE lessons certified by the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and is available for free on iTunes and Google Play.

The app offers featured topics and segmentation by topic. The chart below includes the topics from which health professionals may choose.

Users may choose a desired activity, subject matter, and number of credits upon opening the app. The app will take the health professional through a learning module that has responsive quiz questions interspersed to track the progress of learning. Once successfully completed, the user can enter professional credentials to submit and receive CE credit. A certificate of attendance is also received once a session is successfully completed and states the number of CE credits earned.

Other useful tools offered within the mobile app include a “Planner” that allows you to schedule activities that can later be found under the “Planned Activities” as well as a “Tracker” to list all credits and requirements/goals completed. A “Performance” tab allows the user to see information in chart-format such as your scores when compared to the community average in terms of subject areas, your progress towards goals that you have set through the “Tracker”, and program scores for each completed CE course.

The RealCME App provides a convenient medium for earning CE credits on-the-go for healthcare professionals as it is built for mobile and other portable devices. It is a good option for those who do not get much time to sit down at a computer or in a lecture; however, its limitations lie in the number of available programs which range from 1 to 10.

Free on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/realcme/id399842586?mt=8

[i] PA Code: Board Regulation Section 27.32(e): Continuing Education:  http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/049/chapter27/s27.32.html

PulsePoint Respond app allows citizens trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to locate and assist nearby victims of a cardiac emergency. It alerts CPR-trained users when someone nearby requires CPR, providing the locations of the victim and closest public access Automated External Defibrillator (AED). PulsePoint Respond currently covers hundreds of cities by partnering with local fire departments or emergency response agencies.

PulsePoint Respond is intended for anyone willing to report a person in need of CPR, and people who are CPR-trained. PulsePoint Respond is maintained through the PulsePoint Foundation, and is free to anyone who wishes to download it. The PulsePoint Foundation also offers PulsePoint AED, which is a comprehensive registry of AEDs available for emergency use. By downloading the PulsePoint AED app, users can report AED locations to help local responders and citizens utilizing the PulsePoint Respond app.

Upon download, the app allows a user to follow local emergency response agencies. Following the agencies will provide a newsfeed on current emergency events and what responses have been already taken. There is also educational information on CPR, AED use, and unit identifiers for dispatch statuses available on the app.

A limitation associated with this app is the delayed uptake by local agencies. There has been some delay in establishing coverage, and the PulsePoint Foundation is placing responsibility upon users to approach local authorities for initiation into new areas. Local agencies may be wary of non-professionals intervening in emergency situations where they are not trained for when a professional is on the way to the scene. On the other hand, PulsePoint Respond is addressing a legitimate need, as heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States.

Most pharmacists are trained in CPR, and all pharmacists act in a manner to improve patient lives. That being said, this app provides an opportunity for pharmacists to further extend their knowledge and training for the betterment of the surrounding community.

PulsePoint Respond and PulsePoint AED are currently available for both iOS and Android systems.

More information on both apps can be found at: http://www.pulsepoint.org/

Glooko is a cloud-based mobile system incorporating an app to allow for data from blood glucose meters, fitness monitors, and manual input to be evaluated in a single program. The system has been FDA 510(k) cleared and is HIPAA compliant, but is not yet available for purchase. Once marketed, the system will be available for patients, providers, payers, and caregivers to use in diabetes control. The cloud-based system, MeterSync Blue, connects compatible blood glucose meters to mobile devices. The Glooko system was designed to be compatible with over 30 different glucose and fitness monitors.

Some features of the app include:

1. Compatible with Apple and Android products
2. Remote monitoring of activity level, weight, blood pressure, glucose, etc.
3. Food/ carbohydrate counting and exercise input
4. Insulin and medication tracking
5. Compatible with Accu-Check, Free-style, One-touch, and more

Patient Use: Gives patients with diabetes the ability to sync glucose tracking to a mobile device, add fitness tracker data, input food/carbohydrate intake and medication, and share reports of data with physicians.

Provider Use: Allows providers remote monitoring of patient’s disease state, medication compliance, glucose levels and lifestyle data in order to make interventions. This helps promote improved patient-provider communication.

Payer Use: Presents risk stratified diabetes data and analytics to target earlier treatment in members with diabetes control out of range.

Glooko and the MeterSync system allow for better access to patient disease state information, potentially improving disease state management and adherence. A pilot of this system was done at the Boston Joslin DM Center and showed improvements in diabetes management, specifically hypoglycemia. PHSI believes the integration of FDA approved devices such as Glooko will augment prescription medication usage and help support healthy activities leading to improved patient outcomes. Once marketed, Glooko can allow for better engagement of the healthcare team to improve diabetes control.

https://glooko.com

PHSI was introduced to the RxOrange App through a comment on another post about brand drug patents and generic launch. RxOrange provides details from the FDA Orange Book in the convenience of a mobile app. The App is available for purchase ($3.99) on Apple’s iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.

The home screen of the App starts on a drug search and scroll screen. Any drug in the FDA Orange Book is available. When you find the drug, selecting it displays the drug, manufacturer, and any pharmaceutically equivalent product (both brands and generics). You can continue to drill down to find the strengths and dosage forms, route of administration, therapeutic equivalence code, the approval date, and some information about patents and exclusivity. This information is based on a data file from the FDA that is updated monthly.

The bottom of the screen always offers 5 areas to find information.

1. Drug Search (where you start and find what was described above)
2. Patent Expiration (a list by date of potential brand drug patent expirations when generics may be expected)
3. FDA Approvals (a list by date of FDA approvals that can be searched, or filtered to display only brands or generics)
4. Special Topics (a handful of drugs where substitution or drug classification may be difficult to determine)
5. Info (general info about the App and the supporting sources)

Once you download RxOrange, you do not need an internet connection to access the data because it is stored on your device (19.2mb installed size). You will need an internet connection to update the device with new data. This App is dependent on data from the FDA so new generics and new brands will not be in the App until the next monthly update. There are also some products that are not included in the FDA Orange Book (i.e. Enbrel, Humira) that will not be included in the App. RxOrange does not contain drug information such as side effects, dosing, or drug interactions. PHSI believes that if you find yourself regularly utilizing the FDA Orange Book to find therapeutic equivalence, drugs and their manufacturers, and potential new generics, RxOrange would benefit you with portability of this data.

https://www.dabblingbadger.com/software/ios/rxorange

The Glucose Buddy App is a data storage utility developed by Azumio Inc. for diabetic patients. This app is available for free on any iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch product with iOS 4.0 or later, as well as all Android devices. This mobile app easily keeps track of the blood glucose readings that are manually recorded from the user’s glucose monitor. It even allows users the option to enter productive notes such as “blood sugar elevated because of high carb lunch” so that their personal health record is more complete.

This diabetic app also gives users the option to record the name and dose of their medications, along with the corresponding time they were taken each day. Once a drug/dosage combination is entered, it is saved so that users must only select the medication from their list of previously entered products. Additional free features provided by this app include daily food, activity, and HbA1c logs, as well as charts that compare weekly and monthly log recordings. Another helpful feature is the ability of the app to send out push notifications in order to provide users with reminders and alarms when it is time for blood glucose testing and/or medication administration. A more advanced “Pro” version of this app is available for purchase at $6.99, which includes additional log options for blood pressure and weight and eliminates in-app advertisements.

Glucose Buddy is an easy-to-use journal app specially individualized with each patient’s diabetic history. Users have the ability to print out their log results to bring with them to their doctor’s office by syncing the logs to their account and then accessing them online. One drawback is that the app relies heavily on the patient to record this data accurately, so failure to do so will result in incomplete data sets. To get started, simply download the app and then go online to create your free account. For more information on this app, please visit www.glucosebuddy.com.

The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has released an app called “Vaccines on the Go: What You Should Know” to help parents have quick access to reliable information about vaccinations and the diseases they prevent. Not only does it go into detail about the vaccines, vaccine side effects, diseases, contagiousness of the disease, and timeline of the disease, but it contains a section dedicated to talking about vaccination safety. The vaccination safety section addresses concerns about vaccines such as risk of autism, vaccine components like thimerosal, and egg allergies. The app has videos that discuss the information found within the app, which may be helpful for those parents who have a low health literacy.

The app contains a vaccine schedule for children, teens and adults. For parents worried about the number of vaccines their child is receiving, there’s a section answering those questions. This app would be a great recommendation by the pharmacist or physician to parents who just had their first child, or had questions or concerns about vaccinations. If parents still had questions after using this app, there’s functionality to make a note to bring up to their doctor and the ability to email the Vaccine Education Center with questions.

Vaccines on the Go is full of valuable information, but there are a few limitations of the app. While the app provides a vaccine schedule, it does not provide a place for parents to record the administration date of a vaccine, which might be more useful to parents later on in their child’s life, as many parents lose immunization cards or fail to keep those records accessible.

This app is free for both Apple and Android devices. More information is available on the app’s website at https://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/parents-pack/vaccines-go-what-you-should-know .

GetMyRx is a prescription delivery service application that is available for mobile Apple devices. This new App allows retail pharmacy customers to scan and send a new prescription or refill into a local pharmacy and then get their prescription delivered within 4 hours. The App is easy to use, utilizing a step-wise approach for patients to enter necessary information. The App is able to scan the user’s insurance card and the new prescription or refill label using an in-app camera feature. The written prescription must be surrendered to the pharmacy upon delivery of the medication. Then, all the user has to do is enter their patient information, their doctor’s name, and a delivery address, and the pharmacy will do the rest. The delivering pharmacy takes care of transferring the prescription (if necessary) and calling the user to confirm the order and obtain the user’s credit card information. The App is free to download and the delivering pharmacy cannot charge a delivery fee, so the prescription will cost the exact amount it would cost in-store. GetMyRx charges pharmacies a software licensing fee for using its proprietary technology platform.

Currently, this service is only available in the Miami, Florida area, but developers are looking to expand to New York and San Francisco soon. Expansion of the availability of this App will largely depend on state law. In certain states, pharmacies cannot fill prescriptions unless they have the original prescription or the prescription was electronically sent by an authorized practitioner, so the prescription scan option would not be available in those states. Another drawback is that the user cannot choose which pharmacy to get the new prescription from, the App automatically matches the user to the nearest pharmacy using the service. Pharmacies interested in being a part of the GetMyRx network can email the company at info@getmyrx.com. More information about the GetMyRx App is available at http://www.getmyrx.com.