What You Should Know:
– Today Vocera Communications acquires EASE Applications, a provider of a secure communication platform and mobile application that delivers updates, messages to patients’ loved ones, during surgeries and at other times.
– The Orlando-based EASE offers a cloud-based service that is built to improve the patient experience by enabling friends and family members to receive timely updates about the progress of loved ones in the hospitals. Care team members can send a patient’s loved ones HIPAA-compliant texts, photos, and video updates putting them at ease and saving valuable time.
Vocera Communications, Inc., a provider of clinical communication and workflow solutions, today announced that it has acquired EASE (Electronic Access to Surgical Events), based in Orlando, FL. EASE offers a cloud-based communication platform and mobile application built to improve the patient experience by enabling friends and family members to receive timely updates about the progress of their loved one in the hospital. The EASE app enables nurses and other care team members to send HIPAA-compliant texts, photos, and video updates to patients’ loved ones, putting them at ease and saving valuable time.
Patients can add friends and family members to their distribution list; and with a simple tap, caregivers can keep them informed and ease their concerns. Messages, pictures, and videos sent disappear 60 seconds after being viewed, and nothing is saved on the mobile device, providing an additional layer of security and privacy. The application also provides secure two-way video conferencing between patients’ families and care teams. Additionally, EASE enables care team members to customize in-app surveys, offering a quick way to track and improve patient engagement and satisfaction in real-time, and giving feedback and support for the caregivers.
Return on Investment
With more than 1.6 million sent messages, the EASE application has demonstrated improved patient and family satisfaction and reduced the number of phone calls from loved ones to the hospital. In one study with approximately 2,500 family members, 98% said that EASE reduced their anxiety, and 81% reported that the availability of EASE would influence their choice of hospital. Additionally, patient satisfaction scores increased by an average of 6% for patients who used EASE compared to patients who did not use the application.
Issuance of Restricted Stock Units
As part of the onboarding process, Vocera will issue restricted stock units totaling approximately 60,000 shares of Vocera common stock to approximately eleven employees of EASE. These restricted stock units will vest over three years after the closing and will be made from an inducement plan adopted by the company’s board of directors pursuant to the inducement exemption provided under the NYSE listing rules.
