ROCHESTER, N.Y. — PharmaSmart International Inc. has announced the integration of its patient hypertension tracking portal, the Blood Pressure Tracker, with the Microsoft HealthVault.
According to a news release, Microsoft HealthVault users will now be able to access and share blood-pressure readings from PharmaSmart's network of pharmacy-based health kiosks.
"PharmaSmart, along with our retail pharmacy partners, is committed to offering the hypertensive patient a more convenient, easy-to-use and affordable way to track and manage blood pressure between visits to the doctor," said PharmaSmart president Fred Sarkis. "Our partnership with HealthVault makes it easier for millions of Americans to track their blood pressure and then share that information with their family members or healthcare provider."
More than 73 million Americans are diagnosed with hypertension, the nation's leading cause of death. These patients and their health providers are looking for better ways to monitor and manage hypertension between doctors' visits. PharmaSmart's pharmacy-based network of clinically validated blood-pressure kiosks leverages the expertise of today's full-service pharmacy to provide an affordable, convenient and long-term solution for managing hypertensive patients through active counseling.
"PharmaSmart's alignment with HealthVault represents a natural progression as we continue to invest in technology, partnerships and programs that elevate our core competency — world-class blood-pressure-management solutions," said Lisa Goodwin, PharmaSmart's chief technology officer.
By obtaining a personal smart card from their pharmacists, patients can test their blood pressure as frequently as they like and access their readings online via PharmaSmart's Blood Pressure Tracker patient portal. Users easily can copy their blood pressure data to their HealthVault record, which enables the secure storage, management and sharing of a wide array of health information.
"PharmaSmart and their retail pharmacy partners offer an innovative approach in the management of hypertension," said Dr. James Mault, director of the Health Solutions Group at Microsoft. "Aligning HealthVault's capability with PharmaSmart's pharmacy-based solutions improves the integration of blood-pressure data with other wellness information and delivers information at the point of care."
