Elsevier has acquired ExitCare, an enterprise-wide technology for patient education and discharge instructions, which provides peer-reviewed patient education and discharge instructions for clinicians and patients.

ExitCare's products will be incorporated into Elsevier's portfolio of clinical decision support content and tools, according to the companies.

The acquisition allows Elsevier to offer more point-of-care decision support technologies, according to Jay Katzen, MBA, managing director of academic and government products for the science and technology division at the Philadelphia-based Elsevier.

Lake Elmo, Minn.-based ExitCare said it will provide Elsevier with print, electronic and video patient education content and tools to be used for patient engagement and reducing readmissions, and also meet the needs of both hospitals and office-based physicians who wish to provide a multimedia education experience for their patients. The companies said that the ExitCare content is delivered through referential technologies and can be embedded into the clinical workflow through EHR integration.

Elsevier and ExitCare first began collaborating in November 2011 on several content technologies, including Mosby's Nursing Consult, Clinical Pharmacology and MD Consult.

The acquisition is effective immediately and financial terms of the transaction are not being disclosed.