Med-eMonitor

The September 2007 issue of Prevention Magazine featured a brief article entitled "Peace-of-Mind Pillbox." The article featured Med-eMonitor, an electronic device that hooks up to a standard phone jack. Medication times are announced with a musical tone, coupled with warnings about potential drug or food interactions. If you don't take your drug in 3 minutes, a family member is notified. The initial price of $119.90 includes the Med-eMonitor unit, a one-time set-up fee of $59.95 which includes telephone assistance and training, and the first month's lease charge of $59.95. Annual fees at the current monthly rate amount to $720. I was unable to determine whether the device is covered by current health insurance plans.

The device website offers information for professionals and investors, for consumers, and an on line store. The professional section ably describes the product, refers to product studies demonstrating medication compliance rates of better than 90%, and features a Demo which gives a general overview of the device in operation.

Med-eMonitor is sold by a Maryland based medical device company called InforMedix. Bruce Kehr, M.D. is Chair of the Board of Directors and CEO of the company, which is traded on the OTC BB market (Symbol IFMX). The stock is currently trading at .125 a share. Some key business partners include ADT Security Services, a unit of Tyco Fire & Security, and XLHealth, one of the nation's fastest growing disease management companies. The company is partnering with drug store chains as part of the consumer launch of Med-eMonitor. The most recent partner is Rodman's Discount Drug Stores in Washington, D.C.