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02/11/2014
FamilyWize Partners with GenieMD on App to Further its Goal of Affordable Prescriptions for Everyone
App users can compare prescription prices and buy medicines at discounts of up to 75 percent
PHILADELPHIA – Feb. 11, 2014 – FamilyWize Community Service Partnership, which aims to ensure that everyone has access to affordable prescription medicine, announced today a partnership with mobile healthcare solutions provider GenieMD that furthers that goal.
Under the agreement, FamilyWize’s prescription discount card and price comparison is currently available in the GenieMD app.
App users can compare prescription prices at local pharmacies and use the FamilyWize prescription discount card to buy all FDA-approved medicines at an average savings of 40 percent – and as much as 75 percent. The app, which is available for both iOS and Android operating systems, conveniently stores a digital version of the card that users can show at pharmacies to reduce the cost of their prescription medications.
“Taking your prescription medicine is important to your health and wellness, but cost should never prevent that from happening,” FamilyWize CEO Dan Barnes said. “That’s why FamilyWize is teaming up with GenieMD to help consumers find the most affordable prescription medications.”
Studies and surveys consistently show that high costs have long been a factor in nonadherence to prescription drugs.
According to a study conducted by the Commonwealth Fund in 2012, 60 percent of uninsured adults and 33 percent of underinsured adults with chronic conditions skipped doses or did not fill their prescriptions due to costs.
In 2010, the nonprofit New England Healthcare Institute said nonadherence to prescription regimens costs the U.S. as much as $290 billion a year, or 13 percent of total healthcare expenditures.
And the National Conference of State Legislatures has said, “Poor medication adherence is responsible for avoidable hospital admissions, and 33 to 69 percent of all medication-related hospital admissions in the U.S., at a cost of about $100 billion per year.”
“The cost for purchasing prescription drugs is a major contributor to medication non-adherence in the United States,” said Dr. Soheil Saadat, the CEO of Silicon Valley-based GenieMD. “We believe this partnership allows us to further support our users in managing medications and following treatment plans.”
About FamilyWize
The FamilyWize Community Service Partnership was established in 2005 to help people get the medicine they need. Today, FamilyWize’s Corporate and Technology Partners and more than 50,000 community agencies provide distribution of the free FamilyWize prescription savings cards, which lower the cost of medicine by up to 75%. This includes coordination by nearly 1,000 participating United Ways and America’s Promise Alliance Partners in all 50 states. As of January 2014, the free FamilyWize cards have helped more than six million people save over $600 million. For more information, visit FamilyWize.org/about-us.
About GenieMD
At GenieMD our mission is to help improve the quality of human life by providing solutions that enable people to live healthier and longer. We are developers and healthcare information technology veterans who are passionate about technology, and helping people easily access healthcare services, live well and take care of their loved ones. We use all that is new in medical & computer science to build intuitive, comprehensive and easy to use solutions.
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