Vivacare(SM) Launches: Unveils Online, Physician-Branded Tools To Improve Medication Adherence And Persistency

BERKELEY, Calif., Nov. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Vivacare today announced its corporate launch and introduced Internet-based tools for physicians designed to improve patient knowledge and medication compliance. The company creates and manages online, customized “Patient Care Center” sites, which deliver educational services and compliance-enhancing messages to patients from the source they trust most, their own doctor.

This physician-patient channel can be leveraged by pharmaceutical firms to improve adherence and persistency for their brands and to deliver direct-to-patient marketing programs that enhance brand loyalty.

Eighty-one percent of physicians report that they have difficulty providing appropriate paper-based handouts about care and medications to their patients during office visits. Vivacare provides a more comprehensive, online alternative at no cost to doctors. Through Vivacare’s service, patients receive personalized health information about their diagnosis and a doctor-recommended “Information Prescription.” The Information Prescription directs patients to the physician’s online Patient Care Center and comprehensive “Education Library,” where in-depth information about their condition can be found. Patients also have the opportunity to receive personalized messages via email and online “Medication Kits” that provide information about their prescribed medication.

“Rarely during an office visit is there sufficient time to thoroughly discuss all the aspects of diagnosis and treatment, and patients often think of questions after leaving. Vivacare provides easy-to-use educational tools that complement the time I spend with patients and allow me to continue providing relevant information throughout their treatment cycle,” said Dr. Eliot Mostow, a dermatologist in private practice and member of the Vivacare Medical Advisory Board.

For example, a female patient diagnosed with acne receives an Information Prescription from her dermatologist. She then visits her doctor’s Patient Care Center and reads relevant articles and information selected by her doctor about her diagnosis and treatment. The patient has the option of signing up for personalized self-care messages, which are delivered from her doctor via email. These messages come at relevant times during the treatment phase and reinforce key principles, such as the fact that it may take several weeks to see visible improvement and the importance of taking the full cycle of medicine. She also can electronically receive a Medication Kit tailored to her prescription that includes handouts, online videos and links to support groups.

Pharmaceutical firms are provided the opportunity to enhance Medication Kits with product-branded content and services, such as links to product Web sites or rebate coupons. This information is delivered to patients who have been prescribed the medication and enrolled for the service. Vivacare does not provide access to individually identifiable patient data.

Services are provided to physicians and patients at no charge. Vivacare partners with pharmaceutical companies to develop medication compliance-enhancing programs and increase enrollment in their own patient-oriented services. During Vivacare’s initial launch, the cost for most programs begins at $35,000. Programs are structured with a modest start-up fee plus pay-for-performance measures.

Vivacare plans to build a network of 6,000 specialists by July 2006. The company has begun enrolling dermatologists and plans to expand to neurology at the start of 2006. Next, Vivacare will move into cardiology, allergy and primary care.

Why Vivacare

Four out of five American adults with Internet access seek health information online, but most said they would prefer to get the information from their own doctor. Nearly half of all patients report non-compliance with therapy due to a lack of understanding about the benefits of treatment. Non- and partially compliant patients account for an estimated $30 billion a year in lost revenue.

“Improving patients’ ability to better manage their own conditions and adhere to prescribed therapy is critical for all participants in the health care spectrum -- patients enjoy better health, doctors can more effectively treat patients, and pharmaceutical companies’ drugs work to their best ability,” said Dr. Mark Becker, CEO and founder of Vivacare. “Vivacare seeks to strengthen the physician-patient relationship by delivering information and services to patients that physicians cannot otherwise provide because of time or technical constraints.”

Vivacare was founded by Dr. Mark Becker, a pediatrician with more than a decade of direct experience in developing patient education programs and using Internet-based tools to support medical practices. He previously founded Salu, a company that provided practice Web sites and education services for more than 20,000 physician specialists. David Pincus serves as Vivacare’s senior vice president of sales and marketing. He previously held executive posts at Salu, Hearing Science, Inc. and Access Health.

About Vivacare

Vivacare (www.vivacare.com) provides Internet-based tools designed to improve patient knowledge and medication compliance. The company creates online, customized “Patient Care Center” sites for physicians, and delivers direct-to-patient educational services to further patient knowledge and self-care. Founded in 2005, privately held Vivacare is headquartered in Berkeley, California.

NOTE: *Vivacare is a service mark of Patient Care Solutions, Inc. (DBA Vivacare)

Vivacare

CONTACT: Debbie Pfeifer of Vivacare, +1-206-282-5098, or pfeifne@yahoo.com

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