Voalte
by Baxter (formerly Hillrom)
· Based in United States →
— Unified Care Communications
Subscription-based, per-user or per-device fees
Overview
Voalte, a clinical communication platform by Baxter (formerly Hillrom), is designed to enhance communication and collaboration among healthcare professionals within various care settings. It is primarily for physicians, nurses, and other care team members in hospitals and other inpatient environments.
- What it does: Voalte provides secure voice calls, alarm notifications, and text messaging capabilities through mobile applications. It integrates with hospital systems and devices to deliver alerts and patient information directly to smartphones.
- How it fits workflow: The platform streamlines communication by offering a unified directory where users can search for colleagues by name, role, team, room, and patient assignment. This facilitates real-time coordination of patient care, reduces reliance on traditional communication methods like pagers, and aims to improve response times and information sharing for clinical decision-making. Voalte also supports interdisciplinary collaboration, such as during bedside rounds, by improving physician-nurse overlap and communication.
- Notable capabilities: Key features include secure text messaging, VoIP calls, and integration with hospital systems for alarm and alert delivery. The Voalte Platform also includes Voalte Me, which connects caregivers outside the hospital with Voalte One users inside, offering a secure alternative to standard texting on personal smartphones. Additionally, Baxter has introduced Voalte Linq, a voice-activated wearable badge that integrates with Voalte Mobile and nurse call systems to enable hands-free communication and workflow activation. Voalte Family is a HIPAA-compliant texting app to simplify communication between care teams and patient families.
Reviewed by Pouyan Golshani, MD — Interventional Radiologist
Key Features
- Secure voice calls
- Alarm notifications
- Text messaging
- Directory management
- Role-based messaging
- Integration with EMR and hospital systems
- Mobile device management (Voalte Connect)
- Analytics and reporting
- Patient data visualization
- Voice-activated wearable (Voalte Linq)
Use Cases
- Streamlining secure communication between caregivers
- Accessing and managing smartphones and applications
- Improving response times and information sharing for clinical decision-making
- Coordinating patient care in real-time
- Managing alerts and escalations from clinical systems
- Updating patient families with HIPAA-compliant texting and photos
What Physicians Need to Know
Patient Portal Integration
Voalte integrates with Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and other hospital systems to streamline workflows and allow care teams to see patient data. This integration allows for patient information to be viewed within the Voalte application, though access to patient information is role-based and configurable. Additionally, Voalte offers a HIPAA-compliant chat app called Voalte Family, which allows care teams to share secure updates with patient families, bringing them into the virtual care team.
Appointment Scheduling AI
While Voalte primarily focuses on clinical communication, it can integrate with physician scheduling platforms like Lightning Bolt Solutions to incorporate on-call schedules. This allows staff to quickly identify available personnel and contact them via text, phone, or pager. However, the core Voalte platform itself is not described as having AI-powered patient appointment scheduling capabilities. AI voice agents for appointment scheduling, generally, can book, reschedule, and cancel appointments directly within EMR/EHR systems and handle natural conversations with patients.
Symptom Checker Accuracy
Voalte does not appear to offer a symptom checker tool. General information about symptom checker accuracy indicates that diagnostic accuracy is often low, with correct diagnoses listed first in a range of 19-38% across various studies. Triage accuracy tends to be higher, ranging from 48.8-90.1%. There is significant variation in performance among different symptom checkers.
Multi-Language Patient Support
There is no specific information available regarding multi-language patient support features within the Voalte platform. The Voalte Me app is listed as supporting English.
Chronic Disease Management
Voalte's primary function is to facilitate real-time clinical communication and coordination among care teams. This can indirectly support chronic disease management by improving communication around patient conditions, alerts, and care plans. The platform allows for the visualization of patient data from EMR and other medical devices, which can be beneficial for monitoring chronic conditions.
Medication Adherence Features
While Voalte integrates with hospital systems and can facilitate communication regarding patient care, specific features for medication adherence are not highlighted. Voalte One, a clinical communication smartphone application, can include a built-in 2D barcode scanner to facilitate medication administration.
Patient Education Content
Voalte focuses on communication among healthcare professionals and with patient families. There is no explicit mention of providing patient education content as a direct feature of the Voalte platform.
Accessibility Compliance
Voalte aims to provide a unified communication platform that integrates with existing IT infrastructure and supports enterprise-level scalability. While the platform is designed to be accessible on various mobile devices (iOS and Android), specific details about its compliance with accessibility standards (e.g., Section 508) are not readily available in the provided information. One source notes that the technology has not been assessed by the Section 508 Office and that the implementer is responsible for ensuring 508-compliance.
Physician Tip
Utilize Voalte for secure, real-time communication with the care team, including voice calls, alarm notifications, and text messaging. Integrate with your EMR to access patient data and streamline workflows, ensuring all patient care actions are documented in the EMR. Leverage the dynamic directory and on-call scheduling integrations to quickly identify and contact the appropriate team members. Remember that Voalte is intended for professional clinical and business communications; avoid personal messaging and use standardized communication templates like SBAR for clinical information. For patient-specific group messages, ensure the patient's name and DOB are included, and be aware that patient information may not be visible to all recipients based on their privileges. Consider using the Voalte Family app to provide secure, HIPAA-compliant updates to patient families, fostering family-centered care.
Voalte Platform is designed for seamless integration with existing hospital systems, including Electronic Medical Records (EMR), nurse call systems, alarm middleware, and physiological monitors. It supports industry-standard protocols and offers APIs and SDKs for extending clinical support capabilities. Specific integrations mentioned include Epic for patient and treatment team information, Rauland, and Veterans Health Information System and Technology Architecture (VistA). The platform also integrates with physician scheduling solutions like Lightning Bolt to incorporate on-call schedules. Voalte Mobile can connect with other patient care tools, allowing clinicians to view patient waveforms, vitals, and clinical alarms from monitoring devices. Additionally, Voalte Linq, a voice-activated wearable, integrates with Voalte Mobile and Voalte Nurse Call. The system supports single sign-on (SSO) and Active Directory (AD) integration through LDAP.
Details
| Category | Patient Engagement & Education |
| Pricing |
Subscription-based, per-user or per-device fees
|
| Deployment | On-premise servers (for local messaging) and cloud-based services (for push notifications); integrates with existing hospital infrastructure. |
| Compliance | |
| BAA Available | Unknown AI-estimated |
| HIPAA Compliant | Unknown AI-estimated |
| FDA Status | Unknown AI-estimated — unknown |
| Integrations | |
| EHR | Not specified |
| Specialties | Critical Care, Emergency Medicine, Hospital Medicine |
What the Web Says
Voalte is a clinical communication platform designed for healthcare settings, enabling secure voice, text, and alarm messaging among care teams using mobile devices. It aims to streamline workflows, improve response times, and enhance information sharing by integrating with electronic medical records and hospital systems. While it offers modern communication features, some users report issues with app performance and the necessity of dedicated smartphones.
Overall: MixedStrengths
- Secure and HIPAA-compliant communication.
- Improved communication and collaboration among care teams.
- Replaces antiquated pagers.
- Integration with EHR and hospital systems.
- Features like delivery/read receipts and group messaging.
- Ability to locate nurses and providers easily.
Limitations
- Requires all users to have a smartphone, potentially necessitating additional device purchases.
- Mobile app can be slow, clunky, and prone to freezing, requiring frequent restarts.
- Bluetooth connectivity issues, where new messages temporarily sever connections.
- Search feature can be slow and ineffective.
- Lack of voice dictation on the mobile version due to security concerns.
- Can lead to an overwhelming number of messages, causing distractions.
Based on reviews from: Gartner Peer Insights, Slashdot, Indeed.com, G2, Apple App Store, KLAS Research, Reddit, SoftwareWorld, 33 Charts
Last updated: 2026-07-30
Ratings & Reviews
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Press & Coverage
Medical Product Outsourcing
HIMSS 2025: Baxter Reveals Voalte Linq with Voice-Activated Tech
Baxter unveiled its Voalte Linq device, powered by Scotty assistant, at the 2025 HIMSS Global Healthcare Conference, marking the company's first voice-activated technology designed for streamlined communication among care teams. This lightweight, wearable badge aims to free up clinicians' time for direct patient care by integrating with existing Voalte products like Voalte Mobile and Voalte Nurse Call.
2025-03
Baxter International Inc. (Press Release)
Baxter Unveils Voalte Linq Device Powered by Scotty Assistant at HIMSS25 to Advance Voice-Activated Technology in Hospital Settings
Baxter International Inc. announced the Voalte Linq device, powered by Scotty assistant, at HIMSS25, introducing its first voice-activated technology to enhance communication and workflow in hospital settings. The wearable badge integrates with Baxter's connected care portfolio, including Voalte Mobile and Voalte Nurse Call, to improve efficiency and patient safety.
2025-03
Brigham and Women's Hospital
New Mobile Communication Tool Makes It Easy, Efficient for Care Teams to Stay Connected
Brigham and Women's Hospital implemented Voalte throughout its inpatient areas, connecting 3,800 staff members with a unified directory for easier communication via calls, texts, and pages. The mobile technology streamlines communication, provides access to patient information, and includes quick references for clinical workflows.
2022-07
Internal Medicine Journal (PubMed)
How is mobile health technology transforming physician-nurse collaboration?
A study published in the Internal Medicine Journal examined the impact of Voalte, a healthcare-specific mobile application, on bedside rounding and care coordination, finding a significant increase in physician-nurse overlap at the bedside after its introduction. The research suggests that mobile health technologies can strengthen inpatient medicine workflows and interdisciplinary collaboration.
2021-09
MedTech Dive
Hill-Rom strikes $180M Voalte takeover to boost connected care unit
Hill-Rom Holdings acquired mobile healthcare communications company Voalte for $180 million upfront, plus potential additional payments, to integrate Voalte's voice, alarm, and text communication system with its existing portfolio of connected care devices. The acquisition aimed to improve workflows and patient care by connecting 220,000 caregivers across healthcare organizations.
2019-03
PR Newswire
Hill-Rom To Acquire Voalte, Inc.
Hill-Rom announced its acquisition of Voalte, Inc., a leader in mobile healthcare communications, to advance its digital and mobile communications platform. Voalte's platform, serving over 200 healthcare customers and connecting 220,000 caregivers, supports voice, alarm, and text communications and will be integrated into Hill-Rom's care communications business.
2019-03
PRWeb
UCSF Health Selects Voalte for Enterprise Communication Across 6 Hospitals for Nearly 15,000 End Users
UCSF Health selected Voalte Platform for enterprise-wide deployment across six hospitals and for nearly 15,000 end users, expanding on successful implementations since 2015. The decision was based on Voalte's ability to provide efficient care team communication and robust integration with Epic electronic health records.
2018-02
PR Newswire
Voalte Announces 'Story,' 'Insight' and Uber Initiative to Expand Care Collaboration Offerings
Voalte introduced new product offerings, Voalte Story and Voalte Insight, and an initiative with Uber to manage patient transportation, aiming to expand care collaboration. These developments build on the Voalte Platform to integrate healthcare technologies and simplify communication for care teams.
2015-11
Frequently Asked Questions
Voalte primarily focuses on secure, real-time communication among healthcare professionals, including physicians, nurses, and other staff. While it enhances care coordination, its direct patient engagement features are more indirect, supporting the care team in communicating efficiently to provide better patient care. It allows for quick sharing of critical patient information and care plans among providers, which ultimately benefits the patient through more coordinated care.
Compliance rates for physicians using Voalte can vary depending on the institution and specific workflows implemented. However, Voalte aims to improve compliance by offering a dedicated, secure platform for communication that integrates with existing hospital systems, reducing the need for less secure communication methods. Its intuitive interface and mobile accessibility are designed to encourage consistent use among medical staff.
While Voalte excels in clinical communication, several platforms offer more direct patient engagement features, such as patient portals, secure messaging directly with patients, and remote monitoring capabilities. Examples include platforms like MyChart (Epic), FollowMyHealth, and various telehealth solutions. The 'best' alternative depends on the specific needs for patient-facing interactions versus inter-staff communication.
Voalte's pricing model is typically enterprise-based, negotiated directly with healthcare institutions rather than individual physicians. It often involves licensing fees per user or per device, with costs varying based on the modules implemented (e.g., voice, text, alerts) and the scale of deployment. Specific physician-centric functionalities are usually included within the broader institutional license, rather than separate tiers.
From a physician's perspective, a primary limitation of Voalte regarding direct patient interaction is its design as a clinician-to-clinician communication tool. It is not intended as a patient portal or a direct patient messaging platform. While it improves internal communication that benefits patients, it doesn't offer features like appointment scheduling, direct patient education material delivery, or patient-initiated secure messaging.
Yes, Voalte is designed to integrate with existing Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems, which is a key feature for streamlining patient information flow for physicians. These integrations allow for the display of patient context within communications, linking messages to specific patient records, and potentially triggering alerts based on EHR data, thereby enhancing efficiency and informed decision-making.
Voalte employs robust security measures to ensure the privacy and security of patient information, adhering to HIPAA compliance standards. This includes end-to-end encryption for all messages and voice calls, secure authentication protocols, and audit trails of communication. The platform is designed to replace less secure communication methods like personal texting, thereby safeguarding sensitive patient data.
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| Last Verified: 2026-07-26 | First Added: 2026-07-26