Vocera acquires mVisum to address alarm fatigue

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Vocera Communications, Inc., a leading provider of intelligent communication solutions for mobile environments, has announced the acquisition of mVisum, an innovative provider of alarm management technology solutions for health systems.

“The acquisition of mVisum is another step in our strategic roadmap to solve one of healthcare’s biggest challenges: communication,” said Brent Lang (pictured), president and CEO of Vocera. “Communication breakdowns caused by alarm fatigue have become a top patient safety concern and a regulatory priority. mVisum’s alarm management technology instantly delivers data to clinical decision makers and complements our secure, mobile communication solutions to help improve patient care, safety and satisfaction.”

“We are thrilled to be joining Vocera, the recognized leader in the mobile, clinical communications market,” said Praveen Dala, CEO of mVisum. “The strategic vision of both companies is to improve and streamline communications in hospitals and healthcare systems and we are excited by the impact that our combined technology portfolios and talent will have on our customers.”

Alarm fatigue is a growing problem in hospitals by which the large volume of machine chirps and beeps are desensitizing clinicians to the crisis situation that any one alarm could be indicating.

Due to the patient safety risks associated with alarm fatigue, the US Joint Commission approved a new National Patient Safety Goal on clinical alarm safety (NPSG.06.01.01), effective January 2014. mVisum’s medical device alarm management platform helps reduce “alarm fatigue” by offering a closed-loop secondary alarm notification system with audio-visual cues and contextual data, like ECG waveforms, to clinicians via smartphones and other devices.

The software has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a Class II medical device. mVisum is also compliant with the FDA’s new requirements for mobile medical apps. Vocera plans to include the mVisum platform in its broad portfolio of integrated, intelligent communication solutions that are already sold into over 850 healthcare customers worldwide.

mVisum’s unique alarm presentation technology acts as a secondary alarm notification system and provides clinical context, including waveforms, like ECGs, and vital signs, offering decision support and insight into the criticality of every alarm. The Alert Alarm Management System uses patented push notification technology to connect with and distribute data from almost any hospital alarm-generating device.

Configurable dashboards allow users to monitor alarms and alarm responses at the floor, nurse and individual bed levels. In addition, mVisum’s suite of connected care solutions delivers patient details to physicians and specialists without delay, automatically – anytime, anywhere, on almost any smart device. For more information, visit www.mvisum.com

The mVisum transaction is an asset purchase, valued at $3.5 million, and closed on January 13, 2014.

About Vocera

Vocera empowers integrated, intelligent communication for mission-critical mobile environments in healthcare, hospitality, energy, retail, education and more. One of the fastest growing mobile technology companies, Vocera is widely recognized for developing smarter ways to communicate that improve patient and customer satisfaction. Exclusively endorsed by the American Hospital Association, Vocera Voice Communication, Secure Messaging, and Care Experience solutions are installed in more than 1,000 organizations worldwide. Vocera is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., with offices in Tennessee, Canada, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit www.vocera.com and @VoceraCom on Twitter.