Hi Mark, I use Spoken RX with my iPhone SE 2020 and iPhone 13 mini. I didn't look at the video that Chris sent, but here is what I can tell you from using it.
The tags are round and smooth and slightly larger then a quarter. They say to put the phone within 4 inches of the tag, but I find it works better if you are no more than an inch from the tag with your phone. I did have more trouble getting my 13 mini to see the tag, but after a few tries, I got it. When it does get the information, you will hear a funny two-tone, and you get some haptic feedback. The information it gives is very good. I have done two presentations on Spoken RX, and I think I still have access to a recording of one of them. So if anyone thinks it would help, I can make it available. If you have any questions, let me know. Debby -----Original Message----- From: viphone@googlegroups.com <viphone@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of Chris Chaffin Sent: Sunday, January 22, 2023 5:39 PM To: viphone@googlegroups.com Subject: Re: CVS Pharmacy Spoken Rx for iOS and Android Hi Mark, In accordance to Google, the CVS Spoken Rx uses RFID, radio frequency identification, to read a tag on your bottle. I also found this Youtube video going over the program that you can check out. The gentleman doing the video is also blind. https://youtu.be/DtuY2YMjRFw Hope this helps. Chris > On Jan 22, 2023, at 2:37 PM, M. Taylor <mk...@ucla.edu> wrote: > > Hello Everyone, > > Question: Has anyone got the CVS Spoken Rx feature working? > > The day after I posted the podcast transcription to the group, I went to my > favorite local CVS pharmacy and informed the head pharmacist that I wanted to > be enrolled in the Spoken Rx program. > > He told me that he had attended the training sessions on this and that he > would enroll me in the program. I was heartened to learn that two other CVS > customers had also recently made such a request. > > A couple of days later, I received an SMS that my prescription starting with > the letter "S" was ready for pickup. This baffled me as SMS notifications > always include the first 3 letters of a medication name, not just one. > > When I arrived at the store, I was told that the Spoken Rx reader had arrived > and was ready for pickup. > > This surprised me as my pharmacist and I had already discussed the fact that > I would be using my iPhone to read the prescriptions. Be that as it may, > given that it would cause a bit of a pain for him to return the reader, I > accepted the reader. > > Now, at this point both he and I are under the impression that he is to > receive some kind of tags that he and his team can affix to my meds in order > that either the CVS app or the dedicated reader can voice. > > Is this correct? > > He is still waiting on some feedback from his regional manager as to how to > proceed. > > As for me, I am just wondering if an actual special tag is required in order > to hear the medication info. > > One thing I learned from my pharmacist, and had confirmed by a pharmacist at > a neighboring location, is that not everything CVS advertises is as accurate > as the CVS public relations department would have you believe. > > So, any feedback you can contribute as to your CVS Spoken Rx experience, thus > far, would be greatly appreciated. > > Mark > > -----Original Message----- > From: viphone@googlegroups.com <viphone@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of M. > Taylor > Sent: Wednesday, January 11, 2023 4:13 AM > To: viphone@googlegroups.com > Subject: CVS Pharmacy Spoken Rx for iOS and Android > > Hi! It's your prescription talking." > Spoken RxT tells you which prescription you're holding and how to take it.* > All you need is a smart tagged prescription and the CVS PharmacyR mobile app. > > Just call your local CVS Pharmacy to sign up Available now at a CVS Pharmacy > location near you What's Spoken Rx? > It's a smart tagged prescription label that works with our app to read your > prescription information aloud in English or Spanish. Created for blind or > low-vision patients, Spoken Rx shares your prescription information without > having to read the label. > > Hello Everyone, > > I have been wanting to post about this marvelous free resource for quite some > time. > > Recently, Ricky Enger did a Hadley sponsored podcast on this new resource and > I want to make it available here. > > Below my signature, you will find the transcript of her latest podcast > discussing CVS's Spoken RX system. > > At the end of the transcript, you will find the link to the original article > from which you may listen to the audio version of the interview. > > Spoken Rx is a huge step in the right direction in terms of a mainstream > resource providing critical prescription medication information in an > accessible format for the blind and low vision. > > Enjoy, > > Mark > > An episode of the Hadley Presents: A Conversation with the Experts audio > podcast Thursday, January 5, 2023 > > Learn how CVS pharmacy customers throughout the US can access a free service > that reads aloud prescription medication information. > > CVS Pharmacy: Spoken RX > > Presented by Ricky Enger > > Begin Transcript: > Ricky Enger: Welcome to Hadley Presents. I'm your host, Ricky Enger, inviting > you to sit back, relax, and enjoy a conversation with the experts. > In this episode, we discuss the Spoken RX service from CVS Pharmacy, and our > guest is Pharmacy Operations Manager, Lindsey Desrosiers. Welcome to the > show, Lindsey. > > Lindsey Desrosiers: Thank you, Ricky. So excited to be here. > > Ricky Enger: Yes, it is fantastic to have you as well. I can't wait to dive > into our discussion today. But before we do that, why don't we just get a > little info about you. Tell us a bit about who you are and what you do at CVS. > > Lindsey Desrosiers: Sure, gladly. I am a pharmacist by education and I work > for CVS Pharmacy and particularly manage Spoken RX, which is an audible label > feature available at our CVS Pharmacy locations. I manage the day-to-day > operations for Spoken RX, which is very exciting work. > > Ricky Enger: That's fantastic. I can tell you really love what you do with > Spoken RX, and actually we love it too here at Hadley. In fact, we've created > some workshops on how to go through the process of getting it set up and > then, how to use Spoken Rx. And of course, those are going to be available > for free on the Hadley website, and we'll touch on that again a little later. > You've kind of alluded to this a bit in your intro, so before we really dive > into talking about all the cool things about Spoken RX, what exactly is it? > > Lindsey Desrosiers: Yeah, of course. So Spoken RX is a breakthrough feature > on our CVS pharmacy application and it reads prescription information aloud > in English or Spanish. Spoken RX is an important aid for patients with > complete blindness, significant visual impairment, literacy or language > difficulties or dyslexia. It's available at no cost to patients, so that's > very exciting that we have this in all our locations. > > Ricky Enger: Yeah, for sure. > > Lindsey Desrosiers: We worked very closely with the American Council of the > Blind throughout the entire process. And they really provided some valuable > input and feedback in both the development and testing of Spoken RX. So, of > all the similar at home audible label readers that patients can use at home, > this is really the first in-app prescription reader application to be > developed by a national retail pharmacy. It's very unique because it directly > connects to CVS's internal dispensing software in a way that can read the > radio frequency stickers to help eliminate difficulties in differentiating > and managing medication. Patients will know exactly what medication they're > holding in their hand and how to take it. > > With Spoken RX patients no longer need to have a separate device and can get > their medication information anytime, anywhere with a couple taps on their > smartphone and scanning their pill container. So, Spoken RX really does add > to our existing braille, audio and large print accessible prescription label > options that are already available through CVS.com. And it's one of the > latest features integrated into our CVS Pharmacy mobile application, which > makes it easy for patients to stay connected to health resources, refill > their prescriptions, and make appointments for health services such as > vaccinations and testing. > > Ricky Enger: That's awesome. And I just have to say, I love that you all > consulted with people who are blind or have low vision to really get the info > you needed to make this as good a product as it can be because that's so > important. Also, if you don't have a smartphone, and we'll get to this a bit > later, but if you don't have a smartphone, don't tune out now because there > are options for you as well. Before we get into that though, what was the > reasoning behind CVS Pharmacy deciding to develop Spoken RX? > > Lindsey Desrosiers: Yes, so at CVS Pharmacy we're always looking for new ways > to innovate and really just serve our patients better. Recognizing that > prescription management and medication adherence can be particularly > difficult for patients with visual impairments or those who cannot read a > standard print label because the font can be very small on those labels with > all the information available. CVS pharmacy really listened to all of the > feedback and decided to develop its own solution. There're really no > restrictions with Spoken RX. Anyone can get it and it allows for a greater > level of privacy, safety, and independence for our blind and visually > impaired patients. > > Ricky Enger: That's great. So, you don't have to actually wait longer for > your prescription just because it has to have a special label, that happens > the same day, which is amazing. I guess it's worth asking the question where > is it available? Is it just like a few cities and it's rolling out to other > places over time or is it available everywhere? > > Lindsey Desrosiers: We're available now in all our CVS Pharmacy locations > nationwide. We have almost 10,000 stores and Spoken RX is available in all of > the local retail locations. > > Ricky Enger: That's got to be a relief, because I know that for a lot of > people they are in areas where maybe there were previous pharmacy solutions, > but it wasn't available in their area for whatever reason. I'm curious > though, we've talked a lot about the availability on a smartphone, which is > awesome, but for people who for whatever reason are just not smartphone > people, either they really want the buttons or they're sticking with the > landline for now, is there something available for them to read Spoken RX > tags as well? > > Lindsey Desrosiers: Yes. The great thing is that we do have multiple options > for Spoken RX. If they do not have access to the application, they're able to > request one free standalone speaker device from their local pharmacy team. > > Ricky Enger: That's awesome. So we've talked about what Spoken RX is and > maybe in theory how it might work, but why don't we dive a little deeper into > that. How exactly does the technology work? You have all of this information > that somehow makes it onto the printed label? I'm always amazed by just how > much stuff fits there. How does that information then get transmitted to a > person who's using Spoken RX? > > Lindsey Desrosiers: The process is very simple. First, I'll just say the > enrollment process is very simple. It's free for all patients and there's no > restrictions as I mentioned before. Any patient can request Spoken RX audible > labels. For the enrollment process, all patients need to do if they're going > to use the digital application is download the CVS Pharmacy app from either > the App store or Google Play, depending on which device they have and just > register a CVS pharmacy digital account. When they go to their pharmacy, they > can do this either in the store when they're going in for their prescriptions > or over the phone, they can just connect with their local pharmacist or > pharmacy team and request Spoken RX in their profile. So it's very simple to > set this up. The pharmacy team will ensure that they have their indicator and > their profile all set and then all their prescriptions going forward will > have the audible labels affixed. > > So, how it works is now our stores are equipped with the proper equipment and > they have these stickers that will be affixed to the bottom of the patient's > prescription bottle or outside of the container or package. This little tag, > which is like a little white sticker, will then be scanned with the Spoken RX > application to hear prescription information read out loud. > > The patient will open the CVS Pharmacy app, and then we have Spoken RX > available in the pharmacy section under pharmacy tools. All they need to do > is hold their prescription bottle or package with that sticker affixed and > hold it within four inches of their smartphone. When it's read correctly, the > prescription information will be spoken out loud for the patient, which is > great. If they want a standalone reader, they would just put their bottle or > package right on the standalone reader and all their prescription information > will be spoken out loud to them. > > Ricky Enger: Great. And that's going to have all this information, right? > It's not going to be just the name of the prescription, but you have no idea > how often you're supposed to take it or if this one belongs to you or perhaps > your caregiver or somebody. So yeah, what is the information that someone can > get access to using that spoken RX label? > > Lindsey Desrosiers: Yes, so it's actually really exciting. We've further > enhanced this to include as much prescription information as we possibly can > on those stickers. The information that's spoken aloud is in either English > or Spanish, depending on the patient's preference. The information includes > key pieces of information such as the patient's name, the medication name, > the medication dosage and direction, and exactly how to take that medication. > It includes things that are important for that patient to know, if they need > to take it with food or taking it first thing in the morning. > The really key pieces of information that's important for the patient. > > And then other details, we have the prescription number on there, we have the > dispense quantity and refills remaining, the prescriber name, the fill date, > and the discard after date. And again, that's another important piece of > information for patient safety is to know when that medication is really good > until. Also, the pharmacy phone number, so the patient is able to connect > with their pharmacy team directly. The great thing about using our CVS > Pharmacy digital application is that there is a direct link to the pharmacy > phone number so they can directly contact their pharmacy team if they have > any additional questions. So that's exciting. That made it a lot easier for > them to contact them. > > The other cool thing about our digital application is there's an additional > option at the bottom where patients can get more details about their > prescription. Important details that a patient might want to know, such as if > they want to know some common side effects of the medication, if there are > some drug interactions, additional warning label information. Or it could > just be they want to learn more about the medication and what it's used for. > So, there's really a lot of information directly available for the patient at > their fingertips. > > Ricky Enger: That really is amazing. As I said before, I can't believe just > how much info is somehow fitting onto that printed label. And as a blind > person myself, I was just accustomed to having to memorize things or make > notes for myself. And certainly the prescription number if I have to refill > it, that's one of the first things they ask for when you call that automated > thing, what's your prescription number? I don't know. And so having access to > that is really very cool. > > Lindsey Desrosiers: Yes. Yes, exactly. I can't agree more. > > Ricky Enger: Departing from Spoken Rx for just half a second because as cool > as this is, I know that for whatever reason, audible instructions are not > preferred by everybody or not accessible for everybody. So you've kind of > mentioned this before, but I guess Spoken RX is in addition to some other > things that CVS Pharmacy offers for prescription labels. What else is > available? > > Lindsey Desrosiers: Yes, we do have some additional options. Scrip Talk, > which I know a lot of patients are familiar with, uses a tabletop reader to > play coded medication information on the label. And this is available through > CVS.com. The interesting thing with Scrip Talk is this is something that was > built from En-Vision America, and this is the same type of reader that we use > for Spoken RX. So, we did partner with En-Vision America because we know that > that is a very popular reader. We're trying to make it as best as we can for > our patients. > > The other thing that we have are braille labels. So there's an embossed label > that contains the patient's name and the name of the medication that is also > available through CVS.com. So we do have other options for this community, > but we just wanted to have something that was available at all our direct > stores for patients to make it a little bit easier for them to get something > quickly. > > Ricky Enger: Yeah, makes sense. So the part of this that I am just incredibly > excited about is that CVS and Hadley have had the opportunity to partner > together, even beyond the podcast that we're recording today. So how did all > of that come about and why did CVS pharmacy choose to work with Hadley? And > in what way is that partnership taking place? > > Lindsey Desrosiers: CVS and Hadley really do share a commitment to empower > the lives of those with vision loss or blindness, and really partner to > further assist people with a digital solution within the pharmacy. We > partnered to create workshops which will help demonstrate how to enroll in > Spoken Rx to make it easier for patients to enroll and begin using Spoken RX. > > These workshops will really show how to use the different applications, > whether it be iOS or Android or our standalone reader, and help patients hear > those critical prescription details spoken out loud. I really think these > workshops will be extremely beneficial. It's going to be a great additional > resource for patients to go to for any type of assistance with proper use of > Spoken RX. > > Ricky Enger: Absolutely. And we've had just a wonderful experience working > with you and CVS as well. In our show notes we're going to have information > about how to access Spoken RX information. We'll have links to the workshops > on the Hadley site and links to the Spoken RX information on the CVS website. > But if somebody would really just like to talk to a human and get the whole > process started, maybe they're not even sure what their local CVS Pharmacy > is, which one is closest or what have you, is there a number that people can > call just to talk with people from CVS pharmacy who can walk them through > this whole process of getting registered or figuring out what their pharmacy > is or any of that stuff? > > Lindsey Desrosiers: Yes. We do have a general phone number that patients can > call for any questions, and that's 1-800-SHOP-CVS. This is a great resource > for all patients. The other thing that we do have available is our CVS Spoken > RX landing page, and that is found at CVS.com/spokenrx. We'll have some > further details on our website. Patients are also able to identify a local > store on our website, so there is a store locator available. But I do > encourage patients to really speak to their local pharmacy team for > assistance about getting set up with Spoken RX. The pharmacy teams are more > than willing to help patients. And all our pharmacy colleagues have all the > information they need to be able to help our patients. > > Ricky Enger: That's fantastic. Well, Lindsey, thank you so much for spending > a little time with us just talking about Spoken Rx and it's clear how excited > you are and how invested you are in the service. I think it's going to be > incredibly beneficial for people to be able to take their medications > independently just through the access that Spoken RX is providing. So again, > thank you so much for joining us today. > End Transcript. > > Audio Version of Interview at: > https://click.email.hadley.edu/?qs=2a4096efff7ed9f688b3e3053bc23e45a253f3a77 > f9c41e0ea218a9436e87951a7ce947b225ca62f417c22e99054af17a3bad263ddecd8c5 > > > > -- > The following information is important for all members of the V iPhone list. > > If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if > you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or > moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. > > Your V iPhone list moderator is Mark Taylor. Mark can be reached at: > mk...@ucla.edu. 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