How Identiv-Powered CVS Spoken Rx™ Is Making Digital Health More Accessible

December 2, 2021

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 12 million people 40 and over  in the U.S. are visually impaired, including one million who are blind. The small fonts on prescription bottles and side-effect pamphlets can cause big problems for individuals with vision complications. Yet there is no federal rule requiring pharmacies to give patients more accessible options. CVS Spoken Rx - pill bottle, cell phone, cvs heart logo The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) passed a law in 2012 encouraging pharmacies to develop prescription-labeling solutions for visually impaired and older patients. Spoken Rx™ is one such solution offering audio prescription labeling. CVS is offering this proprietary solution at all of its pharmacy locations. Developed in collaboration with the American Council of the Blind, Spoken Rx is available at its nearly 10,000 pharmacy locations nationwide, including more than 1,700 CVS Pharmacy locations within Target. But what exactly is Spoken Rx and how does it leverage the power of Identiv? Read on to find out. Identiv + CVS Pharmacy logos

What Is Spoken Rx?

Spoken Rx is a smart tagged prescription label. It works with the CVS Pharmacy app to read your Rx information aloud, in English or Spanish. Created for visually impaired patients and those who cannot read, Spoken Rx shares your prescription information without you having to read the label. Spoken Rx adds to the existing braille, audio, and large-print accessible prescription label options already available through the CVS website. It is one of the latest features integrated into the CVS Pharmacy app, which makes it easy for patients to stay connected to health resources, refill prescriptions, and make appointments for health services like vaccinations and testing. According to Jared Tancrelle, senior VP, store operations at CVS Health: “We continue to remove barriers to health care for all patients, and this in-app technology furthers our commitment by providing patients added flexibility and independence. Our patients are increasingly digitally connected, so digital tools like Spoken Rx are a priority for us as we listen to feedback and adapt our suite of pharmacy services and programs to ensure we're best meeting the needs of all consumers.”

What Spoken Rx Does

Spoken Rx tells you which prescription you are holding and how to take it. All you need is a smart-tagged prescription and our app. It allows customers to have their prescription information read aloud and is available at no additional cost to buyers. “Spoken Rx allows for a greater level of privacy, safety, and independence for blind and visually impaired customers,” says Eric Bridges, executive director for the American Council of the Blind. The Spoken Rx feature is available in the CVS Pharmacy app and is accessible using Voiceover for iOS, or self-voicing with Siri or Google Assistant on a smartphone. Spoken Rx - Pharmacist and patient stand next to a pill bottle

How Spoken Rx Works

Patients who enroll in the program get a special radio frequency identification (RFID) sticker affixed to the bottom of prescription bottles, which can be scanned via Spoken Rx. It is free to sign up over the phone or in-store, where a pharmacist can help ensure a smartphone is set up properly and can address any questions. CVS can also provide a standalone speaker device to read prescription labels if the patient does not have a smartphone. When these RFID-enabled labels are scanned using the Spoken Rx tab in the app, prescription information, including patient name, medication name, and directions, will be read aloud in either English or Spanish. CVS has based this solution on Identiv’s digital identification and security solution. Spoken Rx - Man stands next to cell phone showing CVS interface on screen

How Identiv Supports Spoken Rx

Identiv powers this groundbreaking program developed by CVS as part of its commitment to digital health innovation. It leverages our contactless readers and RFID tags, which are the backbone of Spoken Rx.
CVS selected Identiv based on its ability to provide reliable, innovative, end-to-end technology solutions spanning contactless smart card readers equipped with near-field communication (NFC) capabilities and RFID devices. Dedicated to delivering secure authentication and identity verification in the Internet of Things (IoT), our solutions are deployed at various medical facilities and pharmacies across the world, trusted to provide contactless device identification, verify compliance and processes, and protect patient health and safety. Identiv’s RFID and contactless solutions are available for purchase at shop.identiv.com. For more information on the complete portfolio, call +1 888.809.8880, contact sales@identiv.com, or schedule a demo today. GET DEMO ›