VIVA Health, Inc. Leads U.S. Health Insurers with Adoption of MedSnap ID

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Dec. 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- VIVA Health, a member of the UAB Health System, has adopted MedSnap ID, a mobile medication safety technology that will allow its care managers to identify the medications a patient is taking and determine potential harmful drug interactions with a snap of an iPhone® camera. MedSnap ID uses computer vision technology to quickly identify an entire patient medication regimen including generic, brand name, and over-the-counter medications.

According to Annals of Internal Medicine, two-thirds of adverse events that occur after hospital discharge are related to errors in medication use. Patients who take many medications often remove pills from their original prescription bottles and cannot remember the name or purpose for specific pills. Patients also may become confused as to which pills their doctors told them to discontinue. MedSnap ID allows patients to show care managers the medications they actually take, and in seconds the identity of each medication is verified while the entire regimen is screened for serious drug interactions and other errors.

VIVA Health's care managers will use MedSnap ID to reconcile the medications patients actually take with their prescribed regimen during visits to members' homes. Additionally, VIVA Health will implement MedSnap ID at medication-safety screenings in its VIVA Medicare Cafes. Members who have their medications 'snapped' will leave with a MedSnap-verified and pharmacist-reviewed medication list.

"The medication history is a critical part of each clinical encounter, and understanding what the patient actually takes can be difficult to assess in a busy clinical setting," said Tara Bryant, M.D., medical director of VIVA Health. "MedSnap's pill recognition technology allows our members to demonstrate exactly what they are taking, and provides clinicians with powerful tools to screen for serious drug interactions instantly. We will use MedSnap ID to improve our members' health and safety while we practice more efficient care."

Birmingham, Alabama-based MedSnap launched MedSnap ID in July 2013 after two years of research and development, and VIVA Health is the first health insurer to implement the service.

"We are pleased to see VIVA Health demonstrate leadership in patient safety through the adoption of MedSnap's medication history-taking technology," said Patrick Hymel, M.D., CEO and co-founder of MedSnap. "MedSnap's mission is to improve medication safety, a goal which is shared by our partners at VIVA Health."

MedSnap ID securely integrates with health organizations' electronic health record (EHR) systems to increase the speed of the medication history and documentation process.

About MedSnap: MedSnap provides mobile medication identification and history-taking technologies and services. With an iPhone® camera and a durable, reusable Snap Surface, clinicians are able to quickly generate definitive medication histories that demonstrate the patient's understanding of their regimen and recognize serious drug interactions early in the patient interview process. By allowing patients to show versus name their pills, patient communication error is reduced, safety is increased and clinician workflow is expedited – all in a Snap. For more information, visit www.medsnap.com.

About VIVA Health: Founded in 1996, VIVA Health has a contract with the federal government to offer private Medicare plans in 24 Alabama counties and a license from the state of Alabama to sell employer group health coverage in 45 counties. VIVA Health has the largest Medicare Advantage plan in its service area, including the Birmingham metropolitan area. The company has approximately 40,000 Medicare members and provides or administers health benefits for 55,000 people through their employer-sponsored coverage. VIVA Health is a member of the UAB Health System. For more information, visit www.vivahealth.com.

Media Contact: Julie B. Wall | 205.323.8208 | [email protected]

SOURCE MedSnap