OnTimeRx Refills Just Got Easier!

Refill Reminder Feature Added to iOS 

This new iOS feature provides automatic "Refill Now" popups when remaining Days Supply is 5 or less.  You decide whether to refill now or later. 

1. Tap the Take button on My Meds or Pill Time screen. 

 2. Tap Yes to Take Now. ( If days supply is 5 or less, a refill alert displays).

3. Tap OK to Refill Now  

4. Tap Later to ignore the alert.  (Refill popup displays with each dose until supply is "zero").  

If you tap "OK", the app jumps to the Doctor/Pharmacy screen, where Prescription Rx Number and the Pharmacy Phone number is displayed.

Walgreens Refills made EASY!  An additional plus for Walgreens customers:  

A “Refill at Walgreens” button is displayed, if a Walgreens Rx Number has been entered.

(Proper format for Rx# is 1234567-12345).

A simple tap on that button accesses the Walgreens prescription refill and processes it directly - without leaving the app.  

Adding this convenience feature not only enhances OnTimeRx, it also helps patients improve adherence by making it easier for them to maintain adequate medication supplies.  

This Announcement was posted Thu, 03/07/2013 by Joe Rago at Walgreens:

OnTimeRx: A New Walgreens Refill API Partner

 

OnTimeRx is a GreatApp

Great News!  OnTimeRx has been listed on GreatApps.com and the exposure should help us get more users. 

It's all about numbers...  
In marketing software apps, downloads and good reviews are very important!  Attracting as many downloads as possible is like getting a good grade on a report card.   Thousands of downloads will have a major effect on overall success of any app.  With the huge number of simple timer/reminder apps out there, it can be difficult for a serious, multi-featured medication manager/reminder app, like OnTimeRx, to get noticed.   But we know it's especially important for people who need reliable pill reminders to find one that works well.

Good Reviews influence potential users to give OnTimeRx a serious try and the higher the number of those, the better.  

So if you've been thinking about how much you like using OnTimeRx, please take a minute or two...  put those thoughts together and post a review.  

Thanks to all for using OnTimeRx, and a  special thanks for the reviews so far.  Well-written reviews, as well as comments posted on this blog, will help us gain more credibility so we can add all the OnTimeRx enhancements users have requested that much sooner.   So keep those comments, reviews, and suggestions coming.   

Take care...

"2 for 1 Special"

Here's another Excellent question from a long-time OnTimeRx user. 

Question:  "I'm helping care for another person.  Is it possible to run 2 OnTimeRx apps on one phone?"

Very glad this multi-user question came up.  There is a workaround for using one OnTimeRx installation for more than one person, but now that we have Free and Paid versions, times have changed.  

Answer:  Interestingly enough, it is possible for a user to download both the Full (Free) version and the Paid version and run both apps on the same device.  

This approach actually offers an excellent solution for users who have to manage meds for more than one person.  Both apps (Free & Paid) will work together just fine.

Suggestion:  To keep things simple, be sure to select different alarm sounds to differentiate the two apps.  Also set alarm times that are 10 to 15 minutes apart to avoid confusion.  Other than that, there should be no problems... unless both users take so many meds that the alarms get to be excessive!  ;D

Take care!

Accounting for PRN doses

A long-time Palm user asked:   "Is there a way to set a time and account for PRN doses on the iPhone app?" 

Short answer - Yes.  

One example for this type of dosing.  A patient may have a sleep medication that can be taken at 9 PM, but only if and when the patient feels it's needed and wants to log it so the quantity on hand will be accurate.   
Here's a little workaround to handle this:    

1.  Set up a drug record for the PRN medication including the PillCount on hand. This number will decrease appropriately each time a dose is taken.

2.  Enter 9PM for the dose time then switch from Routine to PRN on the Schedule button.  This will gray out the Schedule and Repeat buttons, because it cancels any alarms.  However, a [Take] button will display for the drug on MyMeds. 

3. Set up a new drug record as a Task/event and call it  [Decide Now]. 

4. Set a Routine Daily alarm at 9PM (No need to enter a Pill Count here.  This is just a reminder to decide whether or not the drug is needed at 9PM).  Tap Yes to clear the alarm and indicate that you "Decided".   If none was needed, you're done.

5. If a dose was needed, click MyMeds and tap the [Take] button to log the dose and the pill count will decrease appropriately. 

The remaining Days Supply will display on MyMeds.  It's up to you to decide when it's time to refill a PRN prescription or replenish the supply of an Over-the-Counter drug.

MerckEngage for Patient Adherence

Everyone is working on patient adherence...  Everyone, that is, except the patient!   

Merck has joined the quest with a free, online resource which includes healthy recipes, ideas for getting fit, and practical planning tools for better health.  merckengage.com

 

Wouldn't it be great if Merck included OnTimeRx mobile apps in their "tool box"? 

Weekly Reminders & Log Corrections

A new OnTimeRx user asked:    

How do I schedule and log a weekly pain patch change? 

Answer:  

To set reminders to change the patch once a week:  Tap the Repeat button then tap on Daily (default) and select Weekly.  Then select the day of the week to change the patch. 

 

OnTimeRx tracks and logs medication usage, and displays compliance rates.  

When managing pain medications, it's especially important to track usage in order to have accurate compliance records. 

However, it isn't always possible to log the doses on time, and these doses will be automatically recorded as missed after 1 hour.  In order to maintain the log and keep accurate usage numbers, the log entries can be changed to correct any Missed (Late) doses.   

Tap the Log entry that displays an "M" and then tap the word Missed and select Changed.  Then set the approximate time the dose was actually taken.  (Minor difference = Android Log displays the corrected time, but the iPhone currently displays the original set dose time on the correct log entry.)

 This Log correction automatically recalculates your overall compliance rate and the rate for that specific drug.  It also recalculates the remaining Days Supply.

Ignore OnTimeRx Alarm Popups?

A New User wrote:  

"I  tried a few other apps and found OnTimeRx the best of the lot." 

My Reply: Always  pleased to hear that OTRx is “the best of the lot”!  

As a pharmacist, I’m passionate about adherence and we believe our software is a super solution, too.

User:  "I do not mind the ads unless they get in the way of some function buttons when they pop up.  I am in the habit of clicking on ads when using free programs to help the programmer make money.   Most of the pharmacy apps I’ve seen like Walgreens and CVS also advertise, and I understand that it’s the trade-off for using the program for free."

My Reply: This is true.  Ads have also provided a way to offer "free trials" and expose more users to our apps.  It's the way we have to do business these days.  

  
User:  "The pill time notifications can also be annoying when they come on right in the middle of doing something else, like texting.   and takes over my screen.  I always end up having to abort what I was working on, acknowledge the pill time notice and restart my previous activity.  The notices should be less intrusive."

My Reply:  Re: “annoying” pilltime popups… ;D  I hear you, but... It’s much too easy to ignore a less intrusive reminder and still forget to take the med.  We’ve found that “persistence pays off” and that’s why our alarms are more insistent.    You don’t actually have to stop what you’re doing and clear the alarms right then. 

User Tip:   Don’t tap the popup , just tap the phone's Back button to “ignore” the Dose Logging process.  

You’ll go back to the home screen and the OnTimeRx app will automatically alarm again in 15 min.  It's a feature that most of our users like a lot!  

I just tested this again to be sure…  and it works.  I was texting when my 7:30 alarm sounded.  Tapped Back then reopened my Text app and finished my msg. 

(BTW-  Tapping Back should take you back to the last open activity.  We’ll change this in our next revision…)