Vocera Acquires Makers of OptiVox and VoiceCare Solutions

San Jose, Calif.-based Vocera Communications Inc., a provider of point-of-care communication solutions, announced two acquisitions: Clinical Health Communications, makers of OptiVox, and Integrated Voice Solutions, makers of VoiceCare.

The OptiVox and VoiceCare applications are deployed at more than 140 hospitals and help hospital workers better manage millions of patient hand-offs annually. These hand-offs occur hospital-wide during shift changes and when patients are transferred between departments. The companies also offer a secure family communication solution that allows 24/7 access to patient status.

According to The Joint Commission's database of 3,811 sentinel events, communication breakdowns were the root cause of more than 65 percent of these events. Of those breakdowns, 75 percent resulted in the patient's death and more than half were associated with patient hand-offs. Solutions that deliver secure, repeatable and documented delivery of hand-offs are critical to improving these outcomes.

Vocera is positioned to expand these businesses by leveraging its direct sales force and strong relationships with hospitals. These acquisitions are a key milestone as the company expands its leadership in the clinical communications space.