270 Medicare recipients in Tennessee will soon have someone to help remind them when to take their medications. As part of a Medicare program to reduce hospitalizations, a new device called the Med-eMonitor will alert patients when it is time to take a pill.

These “smart pillboxes” will also monitor whether a patient has missed a dose or taken the wrong medication and send an alert over a standard phone line to a secure Internet site which will prompt a follow-up call from a health professional.

The Med-eMonitor is programmed with each patient’s individual schedule and alerts the patient with a sound – usually a song – when it is time to take medication.

Web-linked pillbox reminds patients to take meds

A bill that has passed the House and now needs Senate approval, will give Medicare the right to negotiate drug prices and bargain directly with the pharmaceutical companies. Drug companies are lobbying hard against this legislation.

AARP is urging all members and all seniors to contact their Senators on April 4, AARP’s National Call to Action Day, to urge their senators to pass this bill and give Medicare the ability to negotiate lower prices for their 43 million beneficiaries.

For instructions on how to join the Call to Action, see the AARP website.

Seniors are increasingly turning to generic equivalents of prescribed drugs to save costs. New data released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) show that generic-drug utilization exceeds 60 percent in Medicare Part D.

Keeping costs down is good for seniors and it’s good for the program. For every percentage point increase in generic drug utilization, Part D drug spending falls by by an estimated $12 billion over the 2007 to 2015 period.

Keeping drug costs low helps to keep program costs low which in turn keeps Part D premiums from rising for participants. It will also help prevent seniors from falling into the “donut hole” coverage gap.

The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association believes these data should serve as a reminder to policymakers about the need to expand access to generic drugs. At least 14 name brand drugs commonly used by seniors are expected to be in generic form by 2009.

Pharmaceutical Care Management Association

Medicare will expand coverage for preventative care including diabetes screening starting January 1, 2007.

The expanded coverage will include diabetes outpatient self-management training and medical nutrition therapy.

Medicare will cover tests to check for diabetes without coinsurance or copayment or Part B deductible for people with the following risk factors: high blood pressure, dyslipidemia (history of abnormal cholesterol and triglyceride levels), obesity, or a history of high blood sugar. Medicare also covers these tests if people have two or
more of the following characteristics:

• age 65 or older,
• overweight,
• family history of diabetes (parents, brothers, sisters),
• a history of gestational diabetes (diabetes during
pregnancy) or delivery of a baby weighing more than 9
pounds.

Based on the results of these tests, people may be eligible for up to two diabetes screenings every year.

For more information visit Medicare Partner Tip Sheet