Wegmans Pilots Talking Medication with RFID

By Claire Swedberg

En-Vision's ScripTalk solution is used globally to speak the content of a visually impaired patient's medication label via a reading station or device.

May 22, 2023For millions of people, reading prescription information on a medication container can be difficult or impossible due to vision impairments. But the details on those container labels can be critical to the health of those taking the drug. Supermarket Wegmans began piloting a solution for its prescriptions this spring that will enable visually impaired patients to interact with their medication bottles using high-frequency (HF) radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and a solution provided by En-Vision America.

The text-to-speech solution has been used by pharmacy chains throughout the United States for several years, according to David Raistrick, the president of En-Vision America (see RFID Speaks Up for Prescription Labels). It gives a voice to medications by speaking the instructions or details about a drug that are printed on its label. Now, the company says it can do the same in 26 languages. At Wegmans, the service will be made available at five New York stores, located in Buffalo, Depew, Fayetteville, Jamestown and Rochester.

En-Vision's ScripTalk solution

As part of the pilot, each pharmacy is applying a 13.56 MHz RFID-enabled label to the bottom of each patient's prescription bottle, whenever someone requires the ScripTalk service. Patients can place their bottles on a reading station that will speak the relevant data. The technology also works with an app, allowing patients to access the voice-based content on their smartphones. This information can include each drug's name, dosage and instructions, along with warnings, pharmacy information, the doctor's name, the date and a prescription number.

En-Vision has provided assistive technology for the visually impaired since 1996, Raistrick says, starting with a talking barcode scanner, and then adding HF RFID. The solution employs an RFID printer and reader, compliant with the ISO 15693 standard, in addition to a read station and the tags that are attached to each medication bottle.

David Raistrick

Wegmans and other pharmacies are employing En-Vision America's Scriptability software, which can be integrated with their own prescription-management software. Drug stores can print the labels with RFID tags built into them, using a ScripTalk printer, or they can manually apply a medallion ScripTalk label, measuring an inch in diameter, to the bottom of each bottle, which is already encoded and ready for data to be written to it. The pharmacy using the round label would still print a standard label for such details as the prescription number, which would then be affixed around the side of the container.

The ScripTalk station used at the pharmacy comes with a USB cord to connect it directly to a PC running the Scriptability software. When a patient requests a "talking" prescription, a pharmacist can print the RFID-enabled label or apply a blank label to that person's medication. The pharmacist places the patient's medication on the ScripTalk station, and data is then written to the tag. Information stored in a pharmacy's software can be directly written to the tag and be verified using the ScripTalk reader.

Traditionally, patients have utilized their own ScripTalk station at home. The battery-powered device has no connection to the Internet, and it can be mounted on a countertop or a wall. However, the solution also works with a mobile app, which means users can simply download the app on their iOS- or Android-based smartphone. As long as they have the RFID and Near Field Communication (NFC) functionality turned on, they can simply tap their phone against the prescription bottle's label, and the app will enable the phone to play the audio of those instructions.

The ScripTalk solution has been growing beyond U.S.-based customers, Raistrick reports, especially in Canada. "Our company has evolved to also help pharmacists in other countries and languages," he says. In 2020, the Canadian grocery chain Empire began rolling out the solution for use at more than 420 pharmacy locations, including those operated by Lawtons Drugs, Sobeys, Safeway, Thrifty Foods, Foodland, IGA and FreshCo.

For non-English speakers, En-Vision now provides translated prescription labels for patients as well. According to the United States Census, 21.6 percent of the U.S. population speaks a language in their homes other than English. With that in mind, the company offers its Talking Prescription Labels in 25 additional languages. Pharmacies must purchase this add-on service, and their RFID tags will be programmed in the patient's preferred language.

Looking ahead, Raistrick says, En-Vision America is focusing on making labels easier to deploy in automated pharmacies. As a growing number of patients use mail-order and central-fill pharmacies, En-Vision plans to make its technology available to work in environments such as robotic fill machines. "RFID is a natural [way] to provide visibility throughout the chain of custody, from fill to patient," he states. "We are on the forefront of making this happen for our pharmacy customers."

In the meantime, Raistrick adds, health literacy has become a key topic in the healthcare sector, including for pharmacies, healthcare providers and insurance companies. Personal health literacy refers to the degree to which individuals have the ability to find, understand, and use information and services related to their health, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Many hospitals are recognizing the importance of catering to their patients in their preferred language," he says, "and we are expanding into the hospital pharmacy sector quickly."