Pharmacy rolls out chain-wide app feature for spoken prescriptions 

The proprietary audio prescription label solution, which was developed in collaboration with the American Council of the Blind, will be available in all of the pharmacy's 10,000 locations

Spotted: US-based CVS Pharmacy recently announced the release of its Spoken Rx app feature, which will read prescription information out loud for customers who are blind or visually impaired.

CVS began offering the feature at selected locations last summer, but it will now be available in all 10,000 CVS pharmacy locations across the nation, including more than 1,700 within Target stores.

To use the app, all customers have to do is scan an RFID label on the prescription container, and the app will then read out the prescription information – including the patient’s name, the name of the medication, and the prescription usage instructions, in both English and Spanish. For customers without a mobile phone, a speaker device is available in-store that can read prescription information aloud.

To access the functionality, customers will be required to have a registered CVS account, which they can apply for over the phone, or in-store, where pharmacists can make sure that the patient’s app is ready for the service.

For many stores like CVS, technology is increasingly playing a greater role in how the pharmacy operates. “Our patients are increasingly digitally connected,” explains Jared Tancrelle, senior vice president of store operations at CVS Health. “Digital tools like Spoken Rx are a priority for us as we listen to feedback and adapt our suite of pharmacy services and programmes to ensure we’re best meeting the needs of all consumers.”

Springwise has spotted other innovations that cater for the blind and visually impaired. These including a device that can serve as an alternative to a guide dog, and a smart, book-shaped speaker for the visually impaired.