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º£½ÇÉçÇø — Upstate Medical University’s outpatient pharmacy now offers  to better serve its population of visually impaired and non-English speaking patients.

The program, ScriptAbility, uses an RFID text-to-speech technology, and a Scrip Talk Station Reader or app, that enables patients to hear their medication information without having to read the bottle’s label. RFID text-to-speech technology refers to a system where an RFID tag, which holds encoded data, is read by a device that then converts that data into spoken words.

The prescription bottles look the same as always but have the RFID chip on the bottom, created by special software at the pharmacy. The patient places the bottle onto the small reader device or on Apple or Android phone to hear the information. Patients can hear all their vital prescription information read out loud, including the drug name and dosage, instructions, warnings and contraindications, pharmacy information, doctor name, and prescription number and date. It can read the information in 25 different languages.

The use of ScriptAbility is another innovation by Upstate’s pharmacy to help better serve the community.

In 2023, the pharmacy introduced locking RX bottles for narcotic prescriptions to prevent misuse and help the opioid crisis. It also offers financial assistance to those in need, free prescriptions to those who qualify and a program to help patients take their medicines properly.

“If we can solve one person’s problem, prevent a readmission or help them have a healthier life, then it’s worth it,” said Eric Balotin, director of retail/specialty pharmacy services. “This is another resource we are providing our patients in our community. We think our patient population needs it. We want to be part of a community solution.”

Balotin said Upstate has been looking at adding this technology for several years. Currently, visually impaired patients must rely on family members to support them and help with medications, and the only language the pharmacy can translate labels into is Spanish. Balotin said some visually impaired patients keep their medications in different spots in their homes to differentiate them. The ScriptAbility system removes the possibility of human error and someone taking the wrong medication.

With a large refugee population and an increasing population of visually impaired individuals, the time was right to implement this program, Balotin said.

“We identified the need for talking RX vials through our continuous engagement with our outpatient clinicians, “Balotin said. “We believe the need is significant for those patients and cannot be overlooked.”

The talking RX bottles will initially be available at the Nappi Wellness Institute pharmacy, home of Upstate’s Center for International Health, which services a large refugee population and other ambulatory clinics. The service is, however, available to any patient filling prescriptions at the Outpatient Pharmacy. Patients who use the technology will receive instructions and a demonstration when picking up their prescription drugs, and within a few days a Script Talk Station Reader will be mailed to them from the manufacturer free of cost. There is no other additional cost to patients. Upstate pays a yearly service fee for the system.

Balotin said some national chains have similar technology, but only Upstate offers home delivery and financial assistance.  He said the pharmacy may expand to their other locations if the program is successful.