According to cell phone experts, more than 90 percent of the American public now carries a cell phone.  This means that the devices have long since moved into the mainstream and are now becoming useful in a variety of innovative new ways.  Now, the giant pharmaceutical firm Johnson & Johnson is trying to find ways to use the universality of cell phones to help its customers improve their health outcomes.

To this end, Janssen Healthcare Innovation, a division of the huge company, has launched a new system known as Care4Today Mobile Adherence; the system is a combination of mobile app, website, and messaging platform.  The intent of Care4Today Mobile Adherence is to help users do a better job at taking medications on time; it can also assist with related tasks including remembering to refill prescriptions and arranging needed doctor’s appointments.

Dave Tripi, who helped to found Janssen two years ago, commented on the need for such a system: “Medication non-adherence is a huge problem in healthcare today.  We wanted to look at something that can reach everyone.”  According to Tripi, up to half of all American patients fail to use prescription medications as directed.  Problems include skipping doses and failing to take doses with or without food.  These and other behaviors lead to more than 3-million hospitalizations per year as well as over 100,000 deaths.  The price tag for such expenses totals almost $300 million of what is classed as ‘avoidable’ spending.

Hopefully, the new app will help some consumers to manage their medication needs more effectively.