Wizzard Software Awarded FSS Contract for Talking Pill Bottle
PITTSBURGH , Pa. - Wizzard Software (OTCBB: WIZD) won approval for a Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) contract for VA and other military families to access to MedivoxRx Talking Pill Bottle. The contract also allows Indian Health and other government-funded healthcare facilities to take advantage of these services.
"Rex", The Talking Bottle, allows a patient to simply push a button on the bottle and hear their name, prescription type, dosage instructions, drug warnings and other information read to them. When the Talking Bottle is loaded by a pharmacist the audio instructions are the same instructions that appear in written form on the label. This product assists pharmacies in complying with stringent prescription medication regulations by having the dosage instructions and other critical information read "out-loud" to patients in addition to providing the instructions on the standard label. This "audio label" helps to ensure that a patient fully understands what the medication is, how often to take it and when to refill the prescription or discontinue its use. The Journal of the American Medical Association reported that medication errors and/or adverse drug events kill an estimated 100,000 persons annually with the inability to read and understand medication instructions being a significant contributing factor.
In addition to assisting pharmacies with their compliance initiatives, Rex helps meet the needs of an aging population as people lose their sight, cognitive functionality and physical abilities. The estimated annual cost of blindness to the federal government is $4 billion. According to the Blinded Veterans Association, (BVA) there are over 100,000 blind and visually impaired men and women veterans throughout the United States , and that number is projected to reach 150,000 by the year 2010. The BVA estimates that a blind or a significantly visually impaired individual takes an average of 7 to 10 daily medications. The National Eye Institute reports that there are more than 1 million blind people in the United States today and that figure is projected to reach 1.8 million by 2020.