Vocera announces first clinical communications app for Apple Watch

Innovative new application follows device’s nearly million first-day orders

Lloyd Dunlap
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SAN JOSE, Calif.—Vocera Communications, Inc., a company that provides real-time, intelligent communication solutions for mission-critical healthcare environments, has announced the Vocera app for Apple Watch. The Apple Watch enables Vocera to extend the power of the Vocera Communication Platform in new ways so physicians and care teams can engage with and respond to life-critical communications and alerts. The Vocera app for Apple Watch will allow users to rapidly manage life-critical communications by viewing and responding to prioritized calls, alerts, and messages from other care team members, Electronic Health Records (EHR) and clinical systems, including critical lab values and STAT orders. In addition, users will be able to manage key communication functions by setting their availability to enable proper message routing.
 
The Vocera app also allows users to initiate panic calls in "man-down" emergency situations, improving staff safety. “Our core mission is to provide secure, integrated solutions that are easy to use and improve care team collaboration," said Brent Lang, president and CEO of Vocera. "The Apple Watch offers a revolutionary new way for us to efficiently deliver critical information to the right person, at the right time, in the right place.”
 
“The Vocera app uses the Apple Watch Actionable Notification feature to deliver vital information directly to a user's wrist and leverages Watch Glances to speed time to response," said Gautam M. Shah, vice president of product management at Vocera. "We're excited to leverage Apple Watch to enhance the value and functionality of the Vocera Communication Platform.”
 
This announcement comes on the heels of several new solutions from Vocera designed to address care coordination, including a HIPAA-compliant secure texting solution, and enhanced functionality enabling interactive communications with EHR systems. The Vocera app will be available this summer from the Apple Watch AppStore and can be previewed this week at the company's booth (#2012) at the 2015 HIMSS conference in Chicago. Other Vocera apps for iPhone are currently available and can be downloaded from the App Store.
 
In a recent report on “Secure Mobile Communication in Healthcare,” Frost & Sullivan noted that, “Despite the rise of mobile applications and BYOD (bring your own device), many healthcare organizations still rely on antiquated systems such as pagers, faxes, and paper-based records to communicate and collaborate,” and that using such inefficient systems and processes can negatively impact patient care, safety, satisfaction and outcomes. Further, the report states, “Today’s mobile computing platforms present a powerful set of capabilities for hospitals and health systems that, if leveraged properly, can improve care team collaboration and the efficiency of day-to-day operations.”

Among emerging trends, Frost & Sullivan observes that smart phones are becoming smaller and more powerful with greater healthcare-relevant options, such as secure voice and data communication, remote device management, and mobile applications that can access or use important healthcare IT systems. “However, personal smart phones cannot simply be brought into hospitals and used ‘as-is.’ A significant amount of customization, integration, and security enhancements are required to make smart phones compliant and usable in hospital environments,” the report states.
 
Vocera Communications, Inc. empowers teams through intelligent, real-time communication and collaboration in healthcare, hospitality, energy, and other mission-critical mobile environments. Recognized for developing smarter ways to communicate, Vocera offers enterprise-class technologies that enable collaboration for mobile teams on their device of choice. Vocera solutions are installed in more than 1,200 organizations worldwide, improving efficiency, quality, safety and outcomes while creating optimal working and healing environments. Via the company's research collaborative, the Experience Innovation Network, Vocera also drives thought leadership for the healthcare industry and new standards in care delivery to elevate patient, family, nurse and physician experiences. Vocera is headquartered in San Jose, California, with offices in San Francisco, Tennessee, Canada, India, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.
 

Lloyd Dunlap

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