Vocera Communications Acquires Extension Healthcare for $55 Million to Enhance Clinical Communication and Workflow Efficiency

Recently, Vocera Communications, a San Jose-based company that provides communication services to hospitals and healthcare systems, acquired Extension Healthcare, a clinical communications company, for $55 million in an all-cash transaction.

Following the acquisition, the two companies’ technologies will complement each other effectively, enabling the creation of a unified mobile communication and collaboration platform within a single-vendor, single-system environment. Through its Extension software, Vocera will be able to enhance the interoperability and compatibility of its platform with more than 120 clinical systems, including EHRs, monitoring devices, enterprise clinical systems, and ventilators.

Vocera was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in San Jose, California, with offices in Canada, Tennessee, and the United Kingdom. It provides comprehensive mobile communication solutions, such as voice communication solutions, secure messaging applications, and care transition solutions, to address critical communication challenges faced by hospitals today and improve hospital efficiency. Its products include voice communication, clinical documentation, patient management, communication platforms, alert systems, and wearable devices. Vocera solutions are installed in more than 800 hospitals and healthcare institutions worldwide.

Vocera has long been a cornerstone of clinical communications, partnering with major industry players and acquiring several competitors. In 2009, it collaborated with Motorola to create a hospital-specific smartphone and soon began integrating the device with AirStrip and Epocrates. In 2011, it acquired the SMS capabilities of Toronto-based Wallace Wireless, and in 2014, it acquired mVisum for its medical alert functionality.

In a statement, Brent Lang, CEO and President of Vocera, said, “Hospitals and health systems have long struggled to find a partner capable of meeting all their needs for care team collaboration, workflow, and communication. Clearly, the acquisition of Extension expands the capabilities of the Vocera software platform.” Lang stated that by offering a “complete solution,” Vocera would build deeper customer relationships with more companies, create additional cross-selling opportunities for its software, and secure larger system-wide deals.

Extension Healthcare is renowned for its clinical integration software, Engage, and serves approximately 230 healthcare clients. The platform enables clinicians to monitor their patients’ health status in real time through system data, even when they are away from the bedside. It allows clinicians to prioritize critical notifications, add patient case details, and send messages directly to the mobile devices of care team members. Additionally, it leverages precise data from location-tracking systems to detect whether healthcare providers are present at the patient’s bedside, helping to reduce unnecessary interruptions and alerts while addressing the issue of wasted resources.

Vocera and Extension Healthcare have collaborated on multiple occasions. They share more than 40 hospital clients in the United States, including some facilities within the Veterans Health Administration.

“By partnering with Vocera to become a cornerstone of next-generation clinical communication systems, we are helping to streamline and enhance the documentation efficiency of hospital care teams,” said Todd Plesko, CEO and Co-Founder of Extension Healthcare, in a statement. “Combining our vision and software platform, this new initiative will deliver a positive and lasting impact on the healthcare industry.”