From WisPolitics.com/WisBusiness.com …
— This week’s episode of “WisBusiness: the Podcast” is with Dr. Majid Afshar, associate professor of medicine at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health.
The podcast is focused on a new AI-based screening tool for opioid addiction, which was developed by a research team at the UW SMPH. It was featured in a recent clinical trial study published in the journal Nature Medicine.
Researchers created an AI model using documentation in the health care record that can detect patients that may be at risk, alert the provider and guide them toward connecting patients with addiction resources. It uses notes that are already collected through routine clinical practice and analyzes them for patterns associated with substance abuse.
“A lot of these patients come to the hospital for other reasons, like wound infection or pneumonia or asthma, and it’s the underlying, you know, substance use disorder that’s maybe contributing to that,” Afshar said. “But it’s never prioritized because you’re kind of focused on the physical ailment.”
He discusses the development process for the AI tool, how it was trained to learn the correct trends and how it’s currently being used. Afshar says the “sophisticated” program has more than 13 million parameters, giving it the ability to assess patient records in a nuanced way.
“I don’t think we’re going to be replaced by AI, but certainly it can augment our workflows to become more efficient,” he said. “And so that’s the goal here, was that kind of learning how to use this technology so it can help augment our clinicians.”
The screening tool can identify some addicts that may otherwise have slipped through the cracks, Afshar said, helping to put them in touch with addiction medicine specialists, treatment and other supports. Along with reducing the number of return visits to the hospital, the tool resulted in cost savings as well.
The conversation also touches on the path ahead for the tool’s development, with Afshar noting future iterations may include more targeted approaches to notifying the correct people within the health system.
Listen to the podcast and see the full list of WisBusiness.com podcasts.
— Rivermark Medical has begun enrolling patients in a clinical study of its FloStent product, the Milwaukee company announced.
The product is meant for men with lower urinary tract symptoms caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH, commonly known as an enlarged prostate. The RAPID III study is focused on safety and effectiveness of the FloStent, which can “restore normal urinary flow” while limiting patient recovery time, according to the company.
The announcement notes BPH affects nearly 40 million men in the United States.
Dr. Sheldon Freedman, a urologist in Las Vegas, recently conducted the first procedure for the study. He said the product “represents a meaningful step forward” for men with BPH, offering a non-surgical, reversible approach to treatment.
“We’re excited to be the first site to enroll in the RAPID III study and look forward to offering our patients an option that preserves confidence while effectively addressing urinary symptoms,” he said in a statement.
See the release below.
— In the latest GOP radio address, Sen. Jesse James celebrates the Senate passage of his bill to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage for new moms from 60 days to 12 months.
The bill also passed in the Senate last session, but did not receive a vote in the Assembly amid opposition from Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester.
James, R-Thorp, calls the 60-day coverage threshold “unacceptable.”
“Postpartum recovery doesn’t follow a deadline,” James says. “Some of the most serious health risks like postpartum depression, anxiety, high blood pressure and heart complications arise well into the first year — all while trying to care for a newborn. Bringing a child into the world is life-changing, physically, emotionally, and mentally. That’s why this bill matters.”
He said it’s the Assembly’s turn to pass the bill and get it to Gov. Tony Evers’ desk.
“Because when it comes to protecting moms and families, there’s no room for politics,” James says.
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