Our Process
At Mercy Research and Development we work with our physicians and co-workers in identifying healthcare pitfalls, devising solutions that improve patient care in a cost-effective manner, creating innovative market-savvy products, and taking products to market through various avenues of commercialization.
Hover or click on a step to read the details.
Invention Disclosure
The goal of the invention disclosure is for the R&D team to understand the idea being presented by the physician inventor. Specifically, what the new device is, what method or device is currently being used, design features it needs in order to meet the need, and the inventor's reasoning for the device. Interviewing the physician inventor also helps determine the potential impact the new device could have on procedure time, cost and outcomes.
Program Discovery
Program Discovery is the internal review process of evaluating the feasibility of actually creating the product and making it available for patients. It involves an extensive review of five areas to look at both the external ability of the product to succeed and our internal capabilities to effectively design the device.
The five areas reviewed throughout program discovery include:
- Market Analysis
- Competitor Analysis
- Patentability
- Financial Analysis
- Literature Analysis
Concept Design
Concept design is the process of creating a visual representation of the initial idea, as well as defining the product requirements, initial specifications, and constraint parameters necessary for a successful solution. This information is then used by our team throughout the prototyping process.
Prototyping
Mercy R&D has the ability to do a wide range of prototyping from sketching to 3- dimensional modeling and on to small scale production run of the device using its finished design. Functional prototypes give us the ability to test the device in the clinical arena to ensure it does what it is intended to do.
Testing
Our integration with the hospital allows us to test the devices with the end user in the healthcare setting. This helps us create a technically sound, market viable product that will also meet the clinical need.
Commercialization
Commercialization is the culmination of the entire R&D process, as it delivers the device back into the healthcare setting. The commercialization team works to prepare collateral materials for each device which are made available to potential licensing partners through interactive, mobile, print, and social medias.
These materials allow the commercialization team to pursue licensing arrangements with industry partners, creating a mutually beneficial relationship to help bring our products to market.