Pharmacy Chain Offer Prescriptions with ‘Talking Labels’ for Patients with Visual Impairments

Omaha, Neb.-based Kohll's Pharmacy has become the first retail pharmacy chain in the country to offer prescriptions with "talking labels" to serve patients with visual impairments, the AP/Lincoln Journal Star reports. The labels have an embedded microchip and antenna, and patients pass a handheld, wireless device called ScripTalk within an inch of the labels to read them. The device, manufactured by Illinois-based EnVision America, allows patients to "jump back and forth" through the information on the label, such as the prescribed dosage, side effects, number of refills and the names of the treatment and the doctor who prescribed the medication. EnVision selected the seven-store, family-owned pharmacy chain to launch the device after three years of development and a series of tests in two Chicago hospitals. EnVision selected Kohll's because of the company's size and focus on home medical devices. ScripTalk costs about $175, and patients must pay an additional $1 for each prescription with the readable labels. EnVision officials said that they expect the price of ScripTalk to decrease as the device becomes more popular. "It's a good device that helps increase patient compliance ... you can prevent any mistakes from self-medication. You know that they are getting the right thing," Kohll's pharmacist Marty Feltner said (Lorentzen, AP/Lincoln Journal Star, 9/5).