What Is an Invention?
Memorial Innovatory is eager to work with any Memorial Healthcare System employee who has an idea for an invention that advances healthcare delivery. Employees include physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, healthcare finance professionals and anyone else who works in the healthcare space.
The following information can help determine whether you’re ready to talk to the Innovatory team.
What is an invention?
Memorial Innovatory defines an invention as an original idea that provides a unique solution to a problem. We work with ideas that propose a novel and useful product or process.
We also welcome ideas that represent new and significant improvements to existing inventions. These solutions should be new and useful, resulting in the creation of an innovative product or process.
To protect an invention through the patent process, the innovation must be unique. Your idea will be evaluated to ensure there is a lack of similar products or services available.
The innovation will need to creatively address a particular problem or opportunity. And the commercial product or solution should be something that others would see the benefit of and ultimately pay for.
What kind of ideas is Memorial Innovatory looking to develop?
The Innovatory team supports a wide variety of ideas, as long as they are related to healthcare or healthcare administration. Our projects aim to improve efficiency, safety or outcomes. They provide some clinical or administrative advantage over previous approaches.
Most of the inventions we consider fall into the following categories:
- Medical devices and diagnostics
- Health information technology or digital medicine
- Clinical/business know-how
Examples include diagnostic tools, implants, wearable devices to track health data, methods to use artificial intelligence to improve treatment and software that improves hospital billing.
Am I ready to work with Memorial Innovatory?
We can partner with inventors at any stage, whether you have a concept, prototype or established business plan.
If your idea is a theory, abstract concept or an incremental improvement, we encourage you to develop the concept further. Try to think about how it could become a commercial product or service and why it would be successful. Doing so can help ensure your idea is ready for the next step and maximizes your partnership with the Innovatory.
Consider the following questions, which may help determine whether your idea is ready for partnership with Innovatory:
- What problem or clinical indication does your invention address?
- What are the advantages of the invention over other known technologies or solutions?
- How do you anticipate your invention could be used in clinical practice or healthcare administration?
Are you Ready to Submit an Invention?
Review the process and submit your Invention Disclosure Form.