Medical innovation is the key to overcome the challenges and facilitate the transition to a more consumer-centric health delivery model, but not just any innovation.
Many technological innovations in medicine increase complexity and the need for more infrastructure and specially trained professionals.
Professor Christensen’s and Dr. Jerome Grossman’s joint work in analyzing trends in healthcare at Harvard have identified a new trend for “Disruptive Growth”. This powerful class of innovations lowers complexity and empowers an informed consumer in making choices with:
1) More convenience
2) Less risk
3) More Self-care
4) Increased personal responsibility for care
5) User friendly consumer health inventions
6) Lower Costs
In fact, the most rapidly growing products and businesses in healthcare today rely on products that follow this trend toward less complexity, more convenience, empowering the consumer or nurse practitioner, minimizing oral medications and reducing costs. These type of products result in a better first line of defense against the progression of disease in the primary care setting.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a prime example of a therapeutic segment of health care that has gone over board providing Carpal Tunnel Surgery when there is a simple effective therapy that works for a high percentage of Carpal Tunnel sufferers. The Carpal Solution was presented to Eureka Medical in 2004 by a creative doctor, Dr. Clyde Morgan and was awarded the top home healthcare product for that year by the Advisory Board at Eureka Medical. Dr. Morgan developed the Carpal Solution working with his wife, who had a bad case of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Mrs. Morgan was strongly urged to have surgery as the only solution to her pain and numbness. After conferring with her husband on the prognosis for surgery they decided there had to be a better way. So, after an exhaustive search for an alternative medical option, with no success, Dr. Morgan decided to develop a non-invasive stretching therapy based on information he had read in the medical literature and massage therapy he had employed with some success with his patience with Carpal Tunnel. He knew the product had to be something that people could apply by themselves in the comfort and privacy of their own home.
After a year of trial and error working with his wife, he came up with the first prototype for the Carpal Solution. Mrs. Morgan received so much relief that she was able to go back to her regular work without pain or waking up with numb hands. At this point, Dr. Morgan knew he was on to something that could help a lot of people. After another six months of working with leading medical device designers he had perfected the Carpal Solution and began using it with his patients who were suffering from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Over 95% received relief in two weeks from their worst symptoms and complete remission over the six week protocol. In time he learned that patients could completely overcome their symptoms with this simple non-invasive device and brought it to Eureka Medical for the Medical Invention Review.
The rest is history!
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