Getty
By Michael Kure, Lead Copywriter, SAP Customer Marketing
I recently underwent a medical procedure that required a non-invasive scan of my heart. While I should have been focused on the potential outcome of the scan and what it would mean to my health moving forward, truth be told, I was blissfully distracted by the high-tech set up, and yup, the Star Trek-y vibe of the whole experience.
Nerd that I am, laying on the scanning platform with the biometrics monitor above my head kinetically visualizing my pulse, blood pressure, and oxygen count, I couldn’t help but be reminded of Doctor McCoy’s sick bay aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise.
But, this wasn’t the fabled starship, and unlike the fictional 24th century universe of Star Trek where the concept of currency had been eliminated, in our world, a medical procedure such as this along with any subsequent prescribed medications incurs significant expense.
Fortunately, forward-thinking companies around the globe that utilize SAP technology today are working on innovative solutions that could help reduce medical expenses. In fact, here’s what one partnership in Japan is doing to address that for one very specific problem.
How one unused pill contributes to the high cost of healthcare
In Japan, medical expenses have increased by 44% over 17 years due to the growing number of in-home doctor visits among the elderly. In addition, the rise in residual (or “leftover”) medication has steadily contributed to this increase.
That last part may be a bit difficult to swallow. Surely, a forgotten pill here or a missed dose there can’t add up to very much expense-wise. But the numbers say differently. Among Japanese aged 75 years and older, the cost of leftover unused medication amounts to a staggering $460,000,000 annually.
The unfortunate effect of missed medication among the elderly can bring on serious consequences requiring additional doctor visits or hospital stays, creating even more medical expense, not to mention distress to the patient and loved ones.
The half billion dollar challenge
To solve this half billion dollar dilemma of (wasted) leftover patient medication, a consortium was launched made up of Tokyo-based aluminum manufacturer UACJ Corporation, partner DOCTORS Corporation, and SAP as a business platform provider.
Unlike SAP, UACJ and DOCTORS may not be a familiar names outside of Japan or their particular line of business. UACJ is in the business of manufacturing and selling advanced aluminum products for the automobile, technology, construction, and home appliance industries. UACJ is in fact one of the world’s largest producer of aluminum products, rivaling Novelis, Alcoa, and Kobe Steel. The company’s goal is to provide its customers with an ever-expanding line of diverse products.
DOCTORS Corporation is a company that provides service through a network of active medical specialists across Japan. For this collaborative effort, the organization supports UACJ in the planning and managing of demonstration protocols, and consolidating the opinions of healthcare professionals.
Led by UACJ, what this partnership came up with was a unique, revolutionary “medication tracking” solution built around aluminum foil. Yes, you read that right.
UACJ developed and manufactured the aluminum foil with built-in detection capability. DOCTORS provided the verification, test fields, and feedback from its network of 400 medical professionals throughout Japan. And, SAP provided SAP Cloud Platform as UACJ’s development environment, SAP Cloud Analytics for data collection and analysis, and SAP Qualtrics to obtain user feedback.
How it works
This new type of aluminum foil is manufactured with an insulated layer of imprinted electric circuitry (for use in the pharmaceutical packaging of any given medication) with built-in detection and communication functions.
So, when the patient opens the medicine, the printed circuit foil detects the breakage of the pill packaging material. The medication tracking system, part of the aluminum foil’s electric circuitry, sends the status to an IT platform integrated with it, notifying the doctor, family, or caregiver via smart phone, and enables management of the medication status from a distance. This prevents the patient from taking too much medication, or forgetting to take them altogether, and helps maintain the patient’s health.
All of this might sound like something out of Star Trek, but no. This was developed and created in collaboration among three 21st century organizations. “UACJ, DOCTORS, and SAP have different roles and capabilities in managing medication information. I think that a great strength is that a series of points complement each other. This technology has potential for various stakeholders in the medicine industry,” said Takamichi Watanabe, Foil Product Development Section Manager and Converted Foil Innovation Project Leader, UACJ.
A pill a day helps reduce swelling of medical expenses
This foil-based medication tracking system will not only maintain a patient’s health through correct dosing, it will also enhance the sense of security for relevant players, such as the patient’s family, pharmacist, doctors and nurses, and elder care service providers via a communication app.
Ultimately, as patients achieve their correct medication intake and the number of wasted leftover medications is reduced, overall medical costs associated with doctor or hospital visits will decrease. Deployment of this unique solution is scheduled for April of 2022, and is currently undergoing proof-of-concept testing with various stakeholders.
Oh, as for the results of my heart scan that I mentioned earlier, SPOILER ALERT, that story is on its way to a happy ending. 😉
To learn more about this out-of-the-box solution, you can check out UACJ’s SAP Innovation Awards 2020 pitch deck here.
