COMPUTERIZED MEDICATION REMINDER SYSTEM FOR THE ELDERLY

IN PHASE ONE WE PROPOSE TO DEVELOP A PROTOTYPE COMPUTERIZED HEALTH CARE SERVICE NAMED MEDIMINDER. MEDIMINDER IS A "VOICE MAIL" SYSTEM SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR THE NEEDS OF THE ELDER PATIENT. ONCE TESTED AND VALIDATED IN PHASE TWO, IT WILL PROVIDE AN INEXPENSIVE, AUTOMATED SYSTEM TO PROVIDE THREE GENERAL TYPES OF SERVICES: A) PREVENTATIVE CARE "SERVICE CALLS" REMINDING ELDERS OF SUCH THINGS AS INFLUENZA VACCINATIONS, CANCER CHECK-UPS, AND APPOINTMENTS; B) "FOLLOW-UP CALLS" TO MONITOR RECOVERY AFTER SURGERY, SERIOUS ILLNESS, OR POSSIBLE ADVERSE DRUG AFFECTS; AND C) "EMERGENCY ALERT CALLS" WHEN SUDDEN LIFE THREATENING SITUATIONS OCCUR. THE MEDIMINDER SYSTEM HAS THREE COMPONENTS: A) MICROCOMPUTER SYSTEM, B) ADDITIONAL VOICE MAIL HARDWARE, AND C) CONTROLLING SOFTWARE. TO USE MEDIMINDER, THE HEALTH CARE PROVIDER CREATES A VOCABULARY OF SPOKEN WORDS THAT ARE DIGITIZED AND STORED ON THE COMPUTER'S HARD DISK. USING THIS VOCABULARY THE HEALTH CARE PROVIDER TYPES INSTRUCTIONS AND QUESTIONS AT THE KEYBOARD TO BE SENT, VIA MEDIMINDER TO THEIR PATIENTS. MEDIMINDER CONTACTS THESE PATIENTS AND "SPEAKS" THE QUESTIONS OR INSTRUCTIONS IN THE HEALTH CARE PROVIDER'S VOICE. THE PATIENT RESPONDS BY PRESSING NUMBERS ON THE TELEPHONE NUMBER PAD. THE ESTIMATED RETAIL PRICE FOR MEDIMINDER WILL BE LESS THAN $10,000. THIS LOW PRICE MAKES POSSIBLE THE FOLLOWING THREE VERTICAL MARKETS: A) HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS IN PRIVATE PRACTICE, B) HEALTH CARE CLINICS, C) MEDICAL CENTERS AND HOSPITALS, AND D) ANY OTHER PRIVATE, STATE, OR FEDERAL HEALTH CARE SERVICE AGENCY.