PatientSafe Solutions has acquired Merck subsidiary Vree Health.

For an undisclosed sum, PatientSafe, a San Diego-based developer of mobile care coordination and connected workflow solutions, is buying Vree's care coordination technology to both drive positive behavioral changes and enhance patients' experience in the care system.

Patient engagement has become one of the more popular catchphrases in healthcare these days, thanks in part to its inclusion in meaningful use incentives and Medicare reimbursements tied to patient satisfaction surveys.

Healthcare providers are becoming especially mindful of the issues in a patient's transition from the hospital to the extended care facility or the home, where a lapse could negatively affect clinical outcomes.

"In this era of healthcare reform and value-based care, outcomes play a more important role than ever before; yet there is still a gap between hospital care delivery and home health management," Joe Condurso, PatientSafe's president and CEO, said in a press release.

That's the sweetspot for PatientSafe. Vree's EngageAdvantage platform pulls in provider data from different sources and makes it available to patients and their caregivers for use in a wellness and care management plan.

The Annandale, N.J.-based Vree is a wholly owned subsidiary of pharma giant Merck, whose Merck Global Health Innovation Fund is an investor in PatientSafe.

See also: 

5 ways to fuel patient engagement

Big data: the lifeblood or precision medicine 

Big spenders, bad outcomes: Can health IT help?