{"id":16249,"date":"2016-11-18T15:07:24","date_gmt":"2016-11-18T20:07:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digital.hbs.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/adheretech-and-the-smart-pill-bottle\/"},"modified":"2016-11-18T15:07:24","modified_gmt":"2016-11-18T20:07:24","slug":"adheretech-and-the-smart-pill-bottle","status":"publish","type":"hck-submission","link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/adheretech-and-the-smart-pill-bottle\/","title":{"rendered":"AdhereTech and the Smart Pill Bottle"},"content":{"rendered":"

Patients aren\u2019t taking their medicine. According to the CDC, nonadherence (or the failure of patients to properly take prescribed medications) causes 30 to 50 percent of chronic disease treatment failures, and results in 125,000 deaths per year in the U.S. alone[1]<\/a>. Nonadherence is also a major source of waste, costing the U.S. health care system between $100 billion and $300 billion annually[2]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

These costs are only going to increase. As the U.S. population continues to age, the World Health Organization estimates that by 2020 about 157 million Americans will have at least one chronic condition requiring medication therapy[3]<\/a>. The American College of Preventive Medicine has written that \u201cNonadherence leads to worse medical treatment outcomes; higher, avoidable hospitalization rates; institutionalization for the frail elderly; and increased healthcare costs.\u201d[4]<\/a> Even with all of these terrible outcomes, adherence rates for some medications are as low as 40 percent[5]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Enter AdhereTech.<\/p>\n

Founded by Wharton MBA Josh Stein, AdhereTech uses digital technology to monitor patient adherence in real time and remind patients to take their prescribed medications[6]<\/a>. The company\u2019s patented smart pill bottle incorporates sensors and cellular technology into the plastic walls of a bottle. The sensors can accurately measure a single pill of solid medication and down to one milliliter of liquid medication[7]<\/a>. If a patient misses a dose, the bottle reminds them with an on-bottle light, then a chime, and finally an automated text message or phone call, which can also be sent to the patient\u2019s caregiver or family members[8]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

So how well does AdhereTech work? \u201cOn average, AdhereTech increases adherence by over 20 percent and duration by over 25 percent.\u201d[9]<\/a><\/p>\n

This can make a huge difference, particularly for patients with life-threatening diseases, and for those taking expensive medications.<\/p>\n

The below video highlights\u00a0an example of AdhereTech working with Mount Sinai to provide smart pill bottles to patients taking Harvoni, a hepatitis C medication that costs $1,100 per pill[10]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

http:\/\/abc7ny.com\/technology\/new-smart-pill-bottle-knows-when-youve-taken-your-medication\/1188691\/<\/a><\/p>\n

In addition to reminding patients to take their medication, AdhereTech also collects data on nonadherence. The company can tell if patients take their medication, if they take the correct dosage, what time of day they take it, and for how long they stay on it[11]<\/a>. AdhereTech\u2019s system can detect certain patterns of nonadherence and can solicit feedback from patients via text or phone call to ask why a dose was missed[12]<\/a>. Common reasons for nonadherence, such as forgetfulness, monetary issues, or dosing confusion[13]<\/a>, can all be recorded and tracked. The company can then, in real-time, send alerts to the patient\u2019s caregiver. Furthermore, AdhereTech can use this data to understand the drivers of nonadherence and the solutions that work for different types of patients[14]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

On top of providing this information to doctors, AdhereTech can also give detailed feedback to pharmaceutical companies on how their drugs are being used by patients, and why patients stop using them[15]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Digital technology is core to how AdhereTech delivers on its customer promise. The company\u2019s innovative business model has been enabled by the relatively low cost of sensors and cellular components. AdhereTech\u2019s key critical differentiator is its ability to design products with the end user in mind, which in turn is enabled by technology.<\/p>\n

Josh Stein explains AdhereTech\u2019s design principles in a TEDMED Talk[16]<\/a>:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.tedmed.com\/talks\/show?id=299427<\/a><\/p>\n

When patients opt into receiving the smart pill bottle, their specialty pharmacy knows the correct dosage time, who to send reminders to, and whether to send a text or an automated phone call. AdhereTech\u2019s pill bottle requires zero setup and the battery lasts for over 200 days on a single charge[17]<\/a>. When the battery needs to be recharged it sends an automated message to the patient, who can charge it using a standard micro-USB cord. The cellular technology in the bottle allows it to connect from anywhere in the world without having to sync to Wi-Fi or Bluetooth[18]<\/a>. The bottle works exactly the same as a normal pill bottle, so it requires no learning by the patient. It\u2019s also provided to patients for free[19]<\/a>, with pharma companies paying AdhereTech directly.<\/p>\n

Going forward, AdhereTech should continue to expand its software capabilities. As the company gains scale, and as input costs for sensors and cellular components continue to decline, AdhereTech should be able to move into providing smart pill bottles for lower priced and more mass-market drugs. Ultimately, the company\u2019s competitive advantage may rest in its proprietary database and the ability to analyze its drove of patient adherence data.<\/p>\n

AdhereTech illustrates how the IoT has created new opportunities in the smart med space, allowing for innovation and improving patient outcomes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Word count = 769<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> \u201cWhy You Need to Take Your Medications as Prescribed or Instructed.” U.S. Food & Drug Administration, 16 Feb. 2016. <http:\/\/www.fda.gov\/Drugs\/ResourcesForYou\/SpecialFeatures\/ucm485545.htm>.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Viswanathan, Meera. “Interventions to Improve Adherence to Self-administered Medications for Chronic Diseases in the United States: A Systematic Review.” Annals of Internal Medicine, 04 Dec. 2012. <http:\/\/annals.org\/aim\/article\/1357338\/interventions-improve-adherence-self-administered-medications-chronic-diseases-united-states>.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Small, Takara. “Meet the Companies Disrupting Your Prescriptions.”\u00a0Free Enterprise<\/em>. U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 28 Jan. 2016. <https:\/\/www.freeenterprise.com\/meet-the-companies-disrupting-healthcare\/>.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> “Medication Adherence Clinical Reference.” American College of Preventive Medicine, 2011. <http:\/\/www.acpm.org\/?MedAdherTT_ClinRef>.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Jeffries, Adrianne. “Smart Pill Bottle Measures Meds Using Touchscreen Technology.”\u00a0The Verge<\/em>. 08 Oct. 2012. <http:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2012\/10\/8\/3473218\/smart-pill-bottle-adheretech-capacitance>.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> “It’s Smart to Design Simple.”\u00a0TEDMED<\/em>. <http:\/\/www.tedmed.com\/talks\/show?id=299427>.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> Jeffries, Adrianne. “Smart Pill Bottle Measures Meds Using Touchscreen Technology.”\u00a0The Verge<\/em>. 08 Oct. 2012. <http:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2012\/10\/8\/3473218\/smart-pill-bottle-adheretech-capacitance>.<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> Stein, Josh. “AdhereTech Smart Wireless Pill Bottles.”\u00a0Super-Utilizer Health Innovation Challenge<\/em>. Devpost, 15 July 2015. Web. <https:\/\/super-utilizers.devpost.com\/submissions\/38701-adheretech-smart-wireless-pill-bottles>.<\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> Stein, Josh. “Pharmaceuticals Move into Internet of Medical Things.”\u00a0CIOReview<\/em>. <http:\/\/pharma-life-sciences.cioreview.com\/cxoinsight\/pharmaceuticals-move-into-internet-of-medical-things-nid-12841-cid-36.html>.<\/p>\n

[10]<\/a> Fleischer, Tim. “New ‘smart Pill Bottle’ Knows When You’ve Taken Your Medication.”\u00a0ABC7 New York<\/em>. 12 Feb. 2016. <http:\/\/abc7ny.com\/technology\/new-smart-pill-bottle-knows-when-youve-taken-your-medication\/1188691\/>.<\/p>\n

[11]<\/a> Stein, Josh. “AdhereTech Smart Wireless Pill Bottles.”\u00a0Super-Utilizer Health Innovation Challenge<\/em>. Devpost, 15 July 2015. Web. <https:\/\/super-utilizers.devpost.com\/submissions\/38701-adheretech-smart-wireless-pill-bottles>.<\/p>\n

[12]<\/a> Ibid.<\/p>\n

[13]<\/a> Ibid.<\/p>\n

[14]<\/a> Ibid.<\/p>\n

[15]<\/a> Ibid.<\/p>\n

[16]<\/a> “It’s Smart to Design Simple.”\u00a0TEDMED<\/em>. <http:\/\/www.tedmed.com\/talks\/show?id=299427>.<\/p>\n

[17]<\/a> Stein, Josh. “AdhereTech Smart Wireless Pill Bottles.”\u00a0Super-Utilizer Health Innovation Challenge<\/em>. Devpost, 15 July 2015. Web. <https:\/\/super-utilizers.devpost.com\/submissions\/38701-adheretech-smart-wireless-pill-bottles>.<\/p>\n

[18]<\/a> Ibid.<\/p>\n

[19]<\/a> Fleischer, Tim. “New ‘smart Pill Bottle’ Knows When You’ve Taken Your Medication.”\u00a0ABC7 New York<\/em>. 12 Feb. 2016. <http:\/\/abc7ny.com\/technology\/new-smart-pill-bottle-knows-when-youve-taken-your-medication\/1188691\/>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

AdhereTech is using digital technology to improve patient outcomes and address a major source of waste in the healthcare system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2116,"featured_media":18522,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[2614,2019,1503,2615],"class_list":["post-16249","hck-submission","type-hck-submission","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-internet-of-medical-things","category-internet-of-things","category-iot","category-smart-pill-bottle"],"connected_submission_link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/assignment\/digitization-challenge-2016\/","yoast_head":"\nAdhereTech and the Smart Pill Bottle - Technology and Operations Management<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/adheretech-and-the-smart-pill-bottle\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"AdhereTech and the Smart Pill Bottle - Technology and Operations Management\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"AdhereTech is using digital technology to improve patient outcomes and address a major source of waste in the healthcare system.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/adheretech-and-the-smart-pill-bottle\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Technology and Operations Management\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/11\/TOM-Digital-Challenge-AdhereTech-Photo-2-copy-3.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2724\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"978\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/adheretech-and-the-smart-pill-bottle\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/adheretech-and-the-smart-pill-bottle\\\/\",\"name\":\"AdhereTech and the Smart Pill Bottle - Technology and Operations Management\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/adheretech-and-the-smart-pill-bottle\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/adheretech-and-the-smart-pill-bottle\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2016\\\/11\\\/TOM-Digital-Challenge-AdhereTech-Photo-2-copy-3.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-11-18T20:07:24+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/adheretech-and-the-smart-pill-bottle\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/adheretech-and-the-smart-pill-bottle\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/adheretech-and-the-smart-pill-bottle\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2016\\\/11\\\/TOM-Digital-Challenge-AdhereTech-Photo-2-copy-3.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2016\\\/11\\\/TOM-Digital-Challenge-AdhereTech-Photo-2-copy-3.jpg\",\"width\":2724,\"height\":978},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/adheretech-and-the-smart-pill-bottle\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Submissions\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"AdhereTech and the Smart Pill Bottle\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/\",\"name\":\"Technology and Operations Management\",\"description\":\"MBA Student Perspectives\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"性视界Action\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"AdhereTech and the Smart Pill Bottle - Technology and Operations Management","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/adheretech-and-the-smart-pill-bottle\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"AdhereTech and the Smart Pill Bottle - Technology and Operations Management","og_description":"AdhereTech is using digital technology to improve patient outcomes and address a major source of waste in the healthcare system.","og_url":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/adheretech-and-the-smart-pill-bottle\/","og_site_name":"Technology and Operations Management","og_image":[{"width":2724,"height":978,"url":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/11\/TOM-Digital-Challenge-AdhereTech-Photo-2-copy-3.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/adheretech-and-the-smart-pill-bottle\/","url":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/adheretech-and-the-smart-pill-bottle\/","name":"AdhereTech and the Smart Pill Bottle - Technology and Operations Management","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/adheretech-and-the-smart-pill-bottle\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/adheretech-and-the-smart-pill-bottle\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/11\/TOM-Digital-Challenge-AdhereTech-Photo-2-copy-3.jpg","datePublished":"2016-11-18T20:07:24+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/adheretech-and-the-smart-pill-bottle\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/adheretech-and-the-smart-pill-bottle\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/adheretech-and-the-smart-pill-bottle\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/11\/TOM-Digital-Challenge-AdhereTech-Photo-2-copy-3.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/11\/TOM-Digital-Challenge-AdhereTech-Photo-2-copy-3.jpg","width":2724,"height":978},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/adheretech-and-the-smart-pill-bottle\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Submissions","item":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"AdhereTech and the Smart Pill Bottle"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/#website","url":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/","name":"Technology and Operations Management","description":"MBA Student Perspectives","potentialAction":[{"@type":"性视界Action","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hck-submission\/16249","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hck-submission"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/hck-submission"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2116"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16249"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hck-submission\/16249\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16249"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16249"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}