Invention or Innovation?

11 Sep Invention or Innovation?

For many, the words Invention and Innovation are used interchangeably, and they are in many texts considered synonyms. But for industries and businesses with smaller profit margins and growing pressures on revenue, the difference between the two is not insignificant.

Wired magazine writes, “Companies often claim to be a ‘leader in innovation’ and show a large pile of patents as evidence. Patents are evidence of inventions, of having thought of something first and documenting the new invention through a legal process. There are many patents that really do not have a use or have influenced no products or industries. Patents without ‘use’ are not innovation.”

Here at Qmetis, a healthcare technology firm, headquartered in New York City, grounded in the science of evidence-based medicine, and dedicated to helping hospitals achieve the highest levels of quality every shift and every patient, we focus on innovation. Our innovation is built within our QFutures division; a group dedicated to innovation around our clinical decision-support tools that have been at the center of our work since our founding in 2010. And this newsletter, West57th, is about sharing our thoughts on innovation – from us or others – that can help hospitals, clinicians, and governments, use innovation, to move healthcare towards the future-faster.

Qmetis’s decision-support tools, QComply, are fast, interoperative, interactive, and built with the belief that often simple technology can solve complex problems. And simple is quite often more efficient, more effective, more completely embraced by staff, and of course more affordable. First and foremost, our decision-support tools are real-time, bedside education tools ensuring that every member of your clinical team has all the latest wisdom they need at their disposal to maximize patient outcomes and reduce unbillable costs.

In Greek mythology, Metis was the Goddess of prudence and wisdom, so we decided to partner her and her wisdom with Quality, to produce Qmetis, and for Qmetis to produce the tools that touch each part of quadruple aim. And now here at West 57th, we hope to share each month how innovation, and maybe even an invention, can help us find the future faster.