Medco, Verizon developed mobile app

FRANKLIN LAKES, N.J. — Telecommunications provider Verizon Wireless and pharmacy benefit manager Medco Health Solutions have unveiled a mobile application that the companies said would allow patients and their doctors to instantly find the lowest-cost prescription drugs to meet their health needs and identify potentially harmful drug interactions.

The new Medco Pharmacy mobile app for Verizon Wireless Android and BlackBerry smartphones, is available for download from Verizon. The app provides information about out-of-pocket costs for any prescription drug and lower-cost options specific to a patient’s drug plan, as well as drug-interaction alerts based on the patient’s prescription history, including for patients treated by several doctors or who fill prescriptions at multiple pharmacies.

The app consists of three features: My Rx Choices, which delivers on-demand, personalized out-of-pocket costs, interactions and other information for any prescription drug; My Medicine Cabinet, which allows patients to view the medications they’re on, including prescription and over-the-counter drugs, and set reminders for themselves; and Prescription ID Card, which allows convenient access to a member’s prescription drug card.

“Wireless devices are a part of the lifestyle as we know it today, and millions of people rely on their BlackBerry and Android smartphones for instant information,” Verizon Wireless VP sales Mike Ross said. “Reliability is paramount to not only medical formation, but for a network too. Our combined technologies will give users a powerful tool that can help them manage their medical care.”