Independence Blue Cross, TowerView partner to improve medication adherence

TowerView Health

The Independence Blue Cross (Independence) Center for Health Care Innovation will collaborate with TowerView Health (TowerView) and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn Medicine) on a pilot program to help chronically ill people with multiple prescriptions take the right medication at the right time each day.

People with health coverage from Independence Blue Cross who qualify for this study and choose to participate will be enrolled at no cost in a six month-long randomized pilot program directed by Penn Medicine researchers to evaluate if the program improves their medication adherence. The participants will be divided into two groups: a pilot group that receives help with medication adherence and a control group that receives no medication assistance.

TowerView’s smart pillbox can sense when members miss a dose of their medication and sends them reminders by phone, text or email.TowerView will provide five prefilled medication trays for the study, each holding a week’s supply of medication. The tray fits inside an Internet-connected pillbox that can sense when members miss a dose of their medication and sends them reminders by phone, text, or email. Or it could alarm users with lights and sound if they [users] don’t have a mobile phone to do the same thing. An integrated software platform notifies the Penn Medicine research coordinator when members haven’t been taking their medication over a period of time so that they can call to see if members need any additional assistance. TowerView’s services are sponsored by Independence and Penn Medicine.

“People who don’t take their medications as directed are at much higher risk for getting sicker, needing emergency room care, or being hospitalized,” said Dr. Ron Brooks, senior medical director for Clinical Services at Independence Blue Cross. “It’s a huge, serious issue and one that we must address to improve health care quality and lower costs. TowerView Health provides an innovative and simple-to-use program that we think has great potential.”

TowerView Health was founded in 2014 by four students after their college roommate and cofounder, Nick Valilis, was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia during his first week of medical school. They created TowerView to help Valilis better manage his medications and hope the same approach can help others who take multiple medications. In 2014, TowerView participated in DreamIt Health to fine-tune its business model and meet potential customers.

One third to one half of all patients in the United States do not take their medication as directed, resulting in less than desirable outcomes and nearly $100 billion in avoidable hospital costs each year.