Health care: iPhone app reminds users to take medication

The "app," called "HealthAssist(sm)" is free.

The company release it, WellCare Today LLC, says that it " helps users, especially those with chronic diseases, with the following features:

-- CalendarAlert(sm) provides the user with a scheduled text reminder for each medication-- RefillAlert(sm) provides the user with a reminder of when they need to request a prescription refill-- HealthAlert(sm) provides the user each month with "condition-related:"-- Breaking-news headlines-- Health management articles-- Dialogue forums or chat rooms-- Clinical trials-- EMRAlert(sm) provides the user with an easy way to store and update a private electronic medical record"

The company quotes a report by the New England Healthcare Institute that says ""one third to one half of all patients do not take their medications properly. Patients with chronic diseases - which affect more than half of all Americans - are particularly susceptible to spotty adherence practices that leave them vulnerable to otherwise unnecessary hospitalisations and additional medical risks."