Edison Nation Medical and AARC Team Up To Promote Innovation in Respiratory Care

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Sept. 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Edison Nation Medical, the premier healthcare innovation marketplace, today announced a partnership with the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC), the leading professional association of respiratory care specialists. Edison Nation Medical, which brings 12+ years experience working with individuals and small business to commercialize their innovation ideas, will work with AARC to assist the professional association's community of more than 50,000 respiratory therapists in bringing their product innovation ideas to life.

AARC's mission is to provide training, encouragement and support to respiratory care professionals. The organization has played a key role in advancing the science of respiratory care and serves as a tireless advocate for respiratory therapists as well as patients, their families and the public.

"The people who deliver direct patient care have the best understanding of what works and what needs to be improved," said Robert Grajewski, President of Edison Nation Medical. "AARC is an advocate for respiratory healthcare professionals and pulmonary patients, so the partnership with AARC is a natural fit to help uncover disruptive new ideas in respiratory care products to improve patient outcomes while rewarding the creativity of the care providers."

"One of AARC's goals is to give our community ways to continuously improve patient outcomes and shape the future of respiratory healthcare," said Thomas J. Kallstrom, MBA, RRT, FAARC, Executive Director and CEO of the American Association for Respiratory Care. "We're certain our members have excellent ideas about how to deliver respiratory care more safely, efficiently and effectively, and by working with Edison Nation Medical, they can submit their concepts for professional evaluation and safely explore commercialization opportunities with a trusted and experienced partner."

Edison Nation Medical works directly with people who have ideas or inventions — big or small — for new medical products that can improve the standard of care. The company provides a clear and easy pathway through which anyone — physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, entrepreneurs, even patients and caregivers — can submit a medical invention or idea for full evaluation and potential commercialization.

Joining Edison Nation Medical is free and inventions submitted through their confidential and secure online portal are reviewed in detail by medical, product development and legal experts. Following the in depth evaluations, these inventions are further invested in and improved upon by Edison Nation Medical's expert design and engineering teams, as appropriate. The end goal is to commercialize each qualified product idea either by licensing the idea to a medical device manufacturer or by starting a company around the idea and, when successful, Edison Nation Medical shares licensing royalties or revenues with the inventor.

"As the population ages, the demand for respiratory care will continue to increase," noted Grajewski. "There's never been a better time to harness the talent and innovation of every stakeholder in the care continuum, including respiratory care professionals. We look forward to working with AARC to help the inventors within the respiratory care community explore the possibilities of commercialization their great ideas while improving patient care."

To learn more about Edison Nation Medical, please visit www.edisonnationmedical.com. Find out more about AARC at www.aarc.org.

About the AARC
The American Association for Respiratory Care, headquartered in Dallas, is a professional association of respiratory therapists that focuses primarily on respiratory therapy education and research. The organization's goals are to ensure that respiratory patients receive safe and effective care from qualified professionals as well as supporting respiratory health care providers. The association continues to advocate on behalf of pulmonary patients for appropriate access to respiratory services provided by qualified professionals. Further information about the AARC and how to become a respiratory therapist are available at www.AARC.org.

About Edison Nation Medical
Edison Nation Medical is a healthcare innovation marketplace 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 to 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.

SOURCE Edison Nation Medical