Vocera acquires mVisum to address alarm fatigue

Vocera acquires mVisum to address alarm fatigue

Provider of integrated communication solutions for mission-critical mobile environments Vocera Communications has acquired mVisum, an innovative provider of alarm management technology solutions for health systems.

mVisum’s medical device alarm management platform helps address alarm fatigue by offering a closed-loop secondary alarm notification system with audio-visual cues and contextual data to clinicians via mobile devices.“The acquisition of mVisum is another step in our strategic roadmap to solve one of healthcare’s biggest challenges: communication,” stated Brent Lang, 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.”

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. mVisum’s medical device alarm management platform helps address this issue 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 FDA 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.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.

The mVisum transaction is an asset purchase, valued at $3.5 million, and closed on January 13, 2014. Vocera expects nominal incremental revenue this year, and for the transaction to be slightly dilutive to 2014 earnings. As revenue ramps in 2015, the company expects it to become accretive to earnings.