Amazon Alexa has just gained a new skill that will enable users to set medication reminders by using the information from their doctor’s prescription. The new feature will also let people use voice commands to request their pharmacy for a prescription refill. Amazon has teamed up with Omnicell to launch this experience, and these new Alexa capabilities are already available to Giant Eagle Pharmacy customers in the US.
In an official blog post on Tuesday, Amazon said that users who want to try out this new feature will first need to enable the “Giant Eagle Pharmacy” skill and link their account. They will then need to create an Alexa voice profile if they don’t have one already. Once the setup is complete, a customer can say, ‘Alexa, manage my medication’ to start setting up their reminders. They can also request a refill from their pharmacy by saying, ‘Alexa, refill my prescription’.
With privacy and security issues surrounding smart speakers and other IoT devices, in general, becoming a major cause for concern, Amazon further adds, “These medication management features use multiple layers of verification to ensure that only you are able to access your prescription information via Alexa”. According to the company, “If the voice profile or personal passcode does not match with the account, the information will not be relayed. Additionally … interactions with this skill are also redacted in the Alexa app to maintain privacy”.
With Alexa and Google Assistant emerging as front-runners in the battle for supremacy among digital voice assistants, Amazon is betting big on the new skill. Amazon believes that it will help simplify the way people manage their medication and make it easy for them to manage their healthcare needs at home while maintaining privacy and security. Click on this link to learn more about Alexa’s new medication feature and don’t forget to check out some other cool Alexa skills right here.
