PillPack Service Helps Patients Keep Track Of Multiple Medications

BOSTON (CBS) — One-in-ten Americans take at least five prescription pills every month and managing all of those medications can be a nightmare.

However, a new service takes all the pain out of the process, making patients' lives much easier.

T.J. Parker's family owned a mom-and-pop pharmacy and as a kid, he delivered medications to people's homes.

"Everyone had this pile of pill bottles on the kitchen counter and an Excel spreadsheet with medications crossed out and highlighted and a picture of each pill," Parker said. "And so I knew there had to be a better way to do that."

So, Parker became a pharmacist and two-and-a-half years ago, he launched PillPack. It's a full-service pharmacy that will arrange refills through your doctor's office, contact your insurance company and ship everything to your home at no additional cost.

"It costs exactly the same as going to any other pharmacy," Parker said. "You're literally paying the copays. There are no shipping costs. There are no additional packaging fees."

The unique packaging arrives in the mail every two weeks with pills pre-sorted in multi-dose packs, each labeled with the date and time it should be taken.

Patients can see photos of their pills on the box to make sure they match what's inside and a real pharmacist is available to answer questions 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

David Reyes, a stay-at-home dad with asthma and high cholesterol, has been a PillPack customer for more than year.

"It's a lot like opening your oatmeal, if you eat oatmeal in the morning," Reyes said. "I have not had to travel to a pharmacist in a while. My medications come to my front door. Just as I'm about to run out of my previous package, the new one comes in."

It's a far cry from how Parker used to help customers with their medications.

"I go back to being a 17-year-old kid in someone's home coloring on their pill caps," Parker said. "To be able to do that for a lot more people all across the country, it's been a pretty awesome ride."

PillPack is available in 47 states. It manages not only prescription pills, but inhalers, injections, over-the-counter drugs, vitamins and even liquid medications for kids.

If you're traveling, you can simply rip off the number of packs you need to get you through your trip.

For more information, visit the PillPack website.

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