Custom Health Acquires PatchRx to Enhance Medication Adherence Monitoring Through Technology Integration
Custom Health's acquisition of PatchRx integrates smart pill bottle cap technology into its connected care platform, enabling real-time medication adherence monitoring to improve outcomes for chronic condition patients and address critical needs in pain management.
Custom Health, Inc., a vertically integrated, tech-enabled care platform, has acquired PatchRx, Inc., a medication adherence and remote monitoring technology company, to advance outcomes-driven medication programs through enhanced connectivity and data interoperability. The transaction enables prescription medication dispensing with real-time insights to improve care for patients managing chronic conditions while lowering healthcare costs.
PatchRx's patented PatchCap smart pill bottle cap technology, used in clinics and pharmacies across the U.S., provides remote monitoring of patient adherence through seamless integration of software and hardware. This technology offers real-time visibility into medication compliance, allowing patients to manage medicines more effectively and clinicians to intervene before issues occur. The acquisition brings PatchRx's medication adherence capabilities under Custom Health's connected care platform of vertically integrated, end-to-end patient care solutions.
Shane Bishop, CEO of Custom Health, emphasized the strategic importance, stating that nearly 60% of adults have a chronic physical or mental health condition, with an estimated 40% having two or more conditions. Integrating PatchRx technology into Custom Health's AdhereNet® platform enhances the ability to monitor adherence in real time and take swift action to support patients and improve outcomes. The PatchCap technology is particularly valuable for monitoring patients taking pain medications, especially opioids prescribed for as-needed use to treat breakthrough pain, addressing a significant market opportunity and pressing need in pain management.
As part of the transaction, PatchRx's co-founders Andrew Aertker and Gavin Buchanan, along with key employees in sales, engineering, and finance, will join Custom Health to advance the mission of connecting patients, providers, and payors through real-time data, connected dispensing, and personalized engagement. Aertker, CEO of PatchRx, noted that their strategy goes beyond hardware and dashboards to give providers visibility into medication adherence where they previously had none, embedding this visibility directly into the end-to-end care process at nationwide scale while complementing Custom Health's proven model of technology-enabled patient outcomes management.