FRI AM News: WisBusiness: the Podcast with Lisa Johnson, BioForward Wisconsin; WisBusiness: the Show with Dr. Daniel Cho, CranioSure

August 2, 2024

— This week’s episode of “WisBusiness: the Podcast” is with Lisa Johnson, CEO of BioForward Wisconsin.

She shares an update on the Wisconsin Biohealth Tech Hub effort, which is getting $49 million in federal funding this fall after being selected as one of 12 final tech hubs. The U.S. Economic Development Administration has told project leaders the funding will likely come in September or October, Johnson said.

BioForward Wisconsin was the lead consortium member, but Johnson touts the work of other partners that will be leading funded projects including UW-Madison’s School of Medicine and Public Health, GE HealthCare, the Medical College of Wisconsin and Madison College.

The tech hub effort is expected to have a $9 billion economic impact within the decade, creating about 30,000 direct jobs and 110,000 indirect jobs. But Johnson notes it’s about a lot more than just job creation.

“This was about national and economic security and competitiveness for the U.S. in the future … all kinds of technology areas, right, that we could be at a risk if we always have to go overseas or we’re dependent on those in the future,” she said. “So in our area, the biotechnology, [medical] device, genomics area, that also is a key security risk.”

She noted China is investing billions of dollars into genomic sequencing but argues “we cannot be dependent upon China” and should be safeguarding personal genetic information.

“So this is where a tech hub like the Wisconsin Biohealth Tech Hub comes in and is working on various projects that advance our health care data, and protect our health care data and keep that in the United States,” she said.

As one example, the UW-Madison-led project will work with health care systems throughout the state to gather useful data “to be able to provide better solutions” in the future, particularly for disadvantaged communities in Wisconsin.

Johnson shares details on all the projects being spearheaded by partner groups and what they hope to achieve in the coming years.

Listen to the podcast and see the full list of WisBusiness.com podcasts.

See more coverage on the tech hub.

— In the latest edition of “WisBusiness.com: the Show,” Dr. Daniel Cho shares insights on CranioSure, which won the 2024 Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Contest.

Cho is CEO of the Madison-based startup and an assistant professor of craniofacial and pediatric plastic surgery at UW-Madison. The company has developed a smartphone app for detecting infant skull developmental issues early enough to avoid surgical intervention.

“I had noticed that when I had started here, a lot of the children were showing up at an older age for head-shape concerns, specifically for this craniosynostosis,” he said. “And it’s a condition where the bones of the skull fuse too early, so then the brain is trying to grow but the skull can’t grow with it, which can cause deformities. It can also restrict the ability of the brain to grow and develop.”

For patients younger than four or five months, a minimally invasive surgery can be done to “set the brain and the skull on the right path,” but interventions after six months of age require a much more significant procedure.

Cho says many pediatricians aren’t trained to identify head shape differences, and the app aims to help fill that knowledge gap. Testing found it was 97% accurate, he said.

The show, which is produced in partnership with the Wisconsin Technology Council, also previews upcoming events hosted by the group.

Watch the show and find more episodes.

— Wisconsin is facing a deficit of up to 19,000 registered nurses by 2040, the state Department of Workforce Development reports.

The agency yesterday released the Wisconsin Registered Nurse Supply and Demand Forecast Results, which has been gathering data since 2010 through Department of Safety and Professional Services surveys.

The report includes three models for projecting future nursing workforce shortfalls, with the greatest gap seen under the demographically driven model. This framework, which assumes the nursing workforce will follow the age demographics of the entire population, projects a gap of 19,192 or 25.8% below the expected demand.

A second model that assumes continued growth but at a decreasing rate projects a shortfall of 11,800 nurses or 14.5%. Report authors say this is a “statistically strong fit and intuitively fits with demographic pressures” facing the workforce, and previews a substantial but less dramatic shortage.

A third model, which assumes the growth of registered nurses will follow the same trend observed since 2022, projects a surplus of 6,934 nurses or 7% above demand. The report notes this model is “highly unlikely due to demographic constraints,” as adults over age 65 are making up an increasing share of the state population, driving demand for health services.

The model projecting a shortfall of 19,000 provides a “good status quo scenario” if nothing changes, while the model showing a shortfall of 12,000 is “likely the most realistic,” report authors noted.

“The challenges associated with the aging baby boomer generation remain, and the waves of retirements will continue for another decade,” they wrote. “Healthcare must also face the challenge of fast-increasing healthcare demand. These challenges need to be addressed urgently in a way that maintains or improves public health and patient care.”

Along with attracting more students to the field, the report calls for efforts to retain existing nurses, who are leaving the profession due to stress and burnout as well as physical and verbal abuse.

It also highlights some strategies for addressing the nursing demand challenges, such as using technology to enable nurses to care for more patients or reducing the number of patients seeking care through public health efforts.

See the release and report.

— Gov. Tony Evers is directing the Department of Health Services to use $258 million in COVID-19 funds to boost wages for direct care workers and providers serving older adults and individuals with disabilities.

The guv’s office said in making the move, Wisconsin is joining 20 other states that have a minimum fee schedule for home and community-based services. It establishes the minimum that managed care organizations must pay providers for certain adult long-term care services and impacts several Medicaid programs.

DHS estimates the move will mean a 15% rate increase for most in-home services and 40.5% for those provided at residential facilities.

“Our healthcare workers have faced significant challenges these past few years, and these investments will go a long way toward helping make sure workers receive the support and fair compensation they deserve,” Evers said. “While this is an important step in helping us be able to recruit, train, and retain talented folks in our healthcare workforce, it’s going to be critical for these investments to continue in our next biennial budget so we can address chronic challenges and continue building a strong, stable healthcare industry for the future.”

According to Evers’ office, the minimum fee schedule creates a list of the lowest prices that managed care organizations can pay for services. In doing so, DHS can require those organizations to pass along the rate increase to providers.

Evers proposed such a move in the 2023-25 state budget, but GOP lawmakers stripped it out of the document. The guv’s office said he doesn’t need the Legislature to sign off on using ARPA funds for the move.

Joint Finance Committee co-chair Rep. Mark Born, R-Beaver Dam, argues the state “cannot backfill every ARPA-funded program” created with federal dollars.

“Instead, he is trying to commit the state to massive funding increases in the next budget at a time when we don’t know what our fiscal situation will be for the 2025-27 biennium,” he said in a statement. “The state’s ability to fund this new floor will be discussed in the upcoming budget process.”

And JFC co-chair Sen. Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green, said he had “hoped we would come to an agreement” after productive talks with DHS on this topic.

“I look forward to continuing the discussion during the budget process next session,” he said.

The minimum rates will kick in Oct. 1.

See the announcement.

Top headlines from the Health Care Report…

— The UpliftWI mental health and substance abuse helpline answered 16,508 calls for support in its first year of operation, exceeding expectations.

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