SK Telecom (NYSE:SKM) announced that it will launch M-prescription, a mobile application that will supplement paper prescriptions, on February 24.

M-prescription is expected to significantly improve patients’ convenience by allowing them to store/manage prescriptions in their smartphones and access detailed information on the prescribed medicine including effects, side-effects, dosage and frequency of administration. M-prescription also will help hospitals and pharmacies provide better service and care for patients.

Main features of M-prescription include ▲Prescription History, ▲Real-time Access to Medication Information & Medication Guide, ▲Medication Reminder, ▲Search Nearby Hospital/Clinics & Navigation Service and ▲General Medicine Information.

M-prescription can be downloaded from T Store, Android Market and App Store free of charge. Patients can store prescriptions in their smartphones by entering the Electronic Prescription Number, which is an identification number printed on the paper prescription, into the application. Then patients can fill their prescriptions by visiting a nearby pharmacy and simply presenting the Electronic Prescription Number to the pharmacist.

Currently, M-prescription can be used in 19,000 (or 65% of) hospitals and clinics, and 5,000 (or 24% of) pharmacies nationwide. Looking forward, the tangible benefits of the application are expected to rapidly drive up the numbers, covering 23,000 (or 79% of) hospitals and clinics, and 14,000 (or 71% of) pharmacies by the end of 2012. The company is also targeting more than 100,000 individual application users by the year-end.

With M-prescription, hospitals will be able to gain greater trust from patients by providing them with detailed prescription information, while using this as a mobile promotional tool targeting their regular patients.

Also, the application will enable pharmacies to save cost and enhance patients’ safety by eliminating the need for high-cost equipment like barcode scanners to read the prescription, preventing medication errors, and removing the inconvenience of storing paper prescription. It will also help pharmacies with promotion and customer management.

Yook Tae-Sun, Senior Vice President and Head of Healthcare Business Division of SK Telecom said, "M-prescription carries a great meaning for medical consumers as it enables patients to conveniently store and manage prescriptions in their smartphones, while accessing useful information on prescribed medicine. It also benefits hospitals and pharmacies by preventing personal information leakage through a strengthened security system, as well as by enabling them to save cost and build greater trust with patients."

Once the application becomes popular, SK Telecom also plans to provide upgraded service by offering additional features including prescription reservation, search for after-hour pharmacies, and CRM (Customer Relationship Management) and service satisfaction management for hospitals/clinics and pharmacies. 

Moreover, in January 2012, SK Telecom launched Health Connect, a healthcare joint venture with Seoul National University Hospital. By offering mobile healthcare services that systematically manage an individual’s daily amount of physical activity and bio-information, SK Telecom plans to open an era where individuals can manage their own health via mobile phones.