Electronic Health Reporter

Edison Nation Medical, a health care innovation portal and medical device incubator, today announced a worldwide search for ideas to improve the lives of those living with arthritis, one of the most common and debilitating chronic diseases. The search, launched in conjunction with National Arthritis Month, seeks to reduce physical discomfort and increase the quality of life for more than 52 million arthritis sufferers in the U.S.

Edison Nation Medical’s search is open to the public and innovators from around the world are encouraged to submit ideas through the organization’s confidential portal (EdisonNationMedical.com/arthritis) now through July 14, 2014. After reviewing and selecting the most promising ideas, Edison Nation Medical will work toward licensing those products and share licensing royalties with inventors whose ideas are successfully commercialized.

Arthritis, the leading cause of disability in the U.S., is a complex family of musculoskeletal disorders consisting of more than 100 different diseases and conditions affecting people of all ages, races and genders. Arthritis is not just a disease of old age; in fact, two-thirds of all arthritis sufferers are under the age of 65. Approximately 350 million people worldwide have arthritis. Nearly 40 million persons in U.S. are affected by arthritis.

Each year, people with arthritis account for 44 million outpatient visits and 992,100 hospitalizations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts that the number of doctor-diagnosed cases of arthritis in the U.S. will grow to 67 million by 2030. It also determined that arthritis and other rheumatic conditions cost the United States $127.8 billion in 2003 ($80.8 billion in medical care expenditures and $47.0 billion in lost earnings).

The debilitating effects of arthritis make it nearly impossible for patients to perform even simple tasks such as pulling zippers, holding a kitchen knife, or opening a gas cap. As a result, patients are forced to create “workarounds” in order to accomplish simple daily tasks and maintain a sense of normalcy in their lives. “Workarounds” are often the perfect ideas to translate into commercialized products, and so it is hoped that inventors will submit these ideas and more to the Edison Nation Medical search in order to make daily living more convenient for those with arthritis.

“Because arthritis crosses all segments of the population, it has a unique ability to negatively impact the quality of life for millions of people,” said Robert Grajewski, president of Edison Nation Medical. “We believe there is ample opportunity for arthritis patients themselves and their healthcare practitioners or caregivers to create innovative solutions to the challenges faced in their daily lives.”

Joining Edison Nation Medical is free and ideas submitted to the confidential and secure online portal (EdisonNationMedical.com/arthritis) are vetted through an in-depth review process led by their team of medical, product development and legal experts. The end goal is to commercialize each qualified product idea and, when Edison Nation Medical is successful, licensing royalties are shared with the inventor.

For more information or to submit an idea, go to EdisonNationMedical.com/arthritis.

About Edison Nation Medical:
Edison Nation Medical is a healthcare innovation portal and medical device incubator with deep expertise in open innovation, product development, and healthcare. Born out of collaboration with Carolinas HealthCare System (the second largest public health system in the United States), Edison Nation Medical’s mission is break down the barriers to healthcare innovation. We make this a reality by providing a clear and easy pathway through our open innovation platform for anyone — physicians, nurses, entrepreneurs, even patients and caregivers — to submit a medical invention idea for full evaluation and potential commercialization.

Edison Nation Medical innovation headquarters is in Charlotte, NC with satellite offices in San Francisco and New York City. For more information, please visit www.EdisonNationMedical.com.