MON AM News: ThedaCare using robotic helpers for fetching medications, equipment; OakLeaf Clinics opening new locations in western WI

April 8, 2024

— ThedaCare’s Neenah facility has been using AI-assisted robotic helpers in recent weeks to lessen the workload on nurses and other hospital workers.

The health system on Friday announced ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah is the first hospital in Wisconsin to deploy the Moxi robotic solutions system, developed by Texas-based robotics firm Diligent Robotics.

“We have been exploring innovative ways to support our care teams to offer them resources that will allow them more time to continue providing comprehensive patient care,” said Grace Gonzalez, vice president of nursing for ThedaCare South Region.

The hospital currently has two mobile robots, which each have one multi-jointed arm and lower compartments for storing lightweight objects for transport. The white robots have square faces with a screen displaying blue electronic eyes. They’re equipped with sensors and AI intelligence, which allow them to map and navigate the hospital’s hallways as they deliver medications, lab test results and medical equipment to various locations.

The machines avoid people and objects in their path, and can operate elevators and open doors including those that require badge access, according to the release. Certain workers including nurses can request Moxi deliveries through iPads located in most of the hospital’s nursing units and departments.

Dr. Andrea Thomaz, co-founder of Diligent Robotics, notes nurses can spend as much as 30% of their time fetching supplies.

“That’s a lot of time that could be spent with patients, so we designed Moxi to be a good teammate for nurses and health care workers … We want Moxi to be a capable, useful teammate that supports, not replaces, valued nurses and hospital staff,” Thomaz said in a statement.

ThedaCare says its new robots have saved nurses hundreds of hours in their first six weeks of operation. They’ve completed more than 1,200 deliveries over about 630 active hours, with each delivery taking 20 minutes on average from start to finish. The most common destinations were telemetry, pharmacy and laboratory departments.

Gonzalez says “it’s been incredibly exciting” to see the project being implemented.

“In just the first couple of weeks since Moxi was introduced to the staff, we are already seeing the impact it is making on our team’s efficiency,” she said.

See the release, and see more on the robot.

— OakLeaf Clinics will open new locations in western Wisconsin to help address potential gaps in care created by Hospital Sisters Health System and Prevea exiting the region.

The Eau Claire-based OakLeaf Medical Network recently announced the new clinics in Cornell, Ladysmith, Menomonie and Rice Lake, slated to open in early May. OakLeaf Clinics says it’s also hiring Prevea doctors, nurse practitioners and other medical staff in these cities.

“We moved quickly to fill the healthcare needs in these communities with talented providers with deep connections to their communities and help ensure a seamless continuity of care for patients no longer able to access the HSHS/Prevea system,” said Dr. Chris Lonbella, president of OakLeaf Clinics.

See the release.

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— Wisconsin is expected to add nearly 83,000 jobs between 2023 and 2025, according to estimates from the state Department of Workforce Development.

The agency on Friday released figures showing state employment is expected to grow 2.47% across all industries over that period. The fastest growth seen in mathematics and computer-related occupations with 5.62%.

DWD Secretary Amy Pechacek notes state employment is now higher than it was before COVID-19.

“The economic projections for Wisconsin continue to show broad growth and low unemployment,” she said in the release.

While the leisure and hospitality industry had a steep nosedive during the pandemic, it’s expected to grow by 5.25% — or more than 15,000 jobs — from 2023-2025.

DWD Chief Economist Dennis Winters says the new projections “highlight the expected return of this sector and signal optimism for its future.”

Meanwhile, health care support jobs are expected to grow 4.97%, construction and extraction is expected to grow 4.43%, and building and grounds cleaning and maintenance is projected to grow 4.04%.

See more in the release.

— Wisconsin has joined a multi-state lawsuit against financial services business Mariner Finance that alleges “deceptive sales tactics” and other illegal practices.

“Customers must be able to trust that financial companies they’re working with are treating them honestly and fairly,” Attorney General Josh Kaul said in a statement.

Maryland-based Mariner Finance, which is owned by a Wall Street private equity fund managed by Warburg Pincus LLC, allegedly charged customers for hidden add-on products without their knowledge or consent. Its employees either don’t mention those products or “blatantly misrepresent them,” according to the state Department of Justice, falsely claiming the add-ons are necessary for getting a loan.

That resulted in their customers taking on “hundreds to thousands of dollars” in hidden additional debt. DOJ notes the company charged U.S. consumers $121.7 million in premiums and fees for add-on products in 2019 alone.

The release also outlines the company’s “predatory sales practices” that trap consumers in a cycle of debt, such as mailing hundreds of thousands of “live checks” to consumers. Once recipients cash the checks, Mariner Finance then allegedly pushes them to refinance and take on additional debt.

Mariner Finance has locations in Appleton, Green Bay, Janesville, La Crosse, Brookfield, Greenfield, Weston, Fond du Lac, Mount Pleasant, Middleton and Madison, the release shows.

Attorneys general for Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington originally sued the company in August 2022. After a federal court denied the company’s motion to dismiss in February of this year, Wisconsin and five other states were allowed to join the lawsuit.

They’re seeking “full restitution” to all affected borrowers, repayment of any illegally gained profits, civil penalties, cancellation or reformation of all contracts or loan agreements with impacted customers, and for the business to end the add-on charges and other “harmful practices.”

The company didn’t respond to requests for comment over the weekend.

See the release.

— The USDA is providing $2.2 million in funding for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in the state, including more than a dozen new solar systems.

Funding for the 23 projects comes from the Rural Energy for America Program, USDA Rural Development Wisconsin State Director Julie Lassa announced Friday. She says the program “benefits these farms and businesses by saving them money on energy costs and makes them more resilient.”

Project awards range from $8,500 to $500,000, with the largest going to Dairyland Biogas LLC in New Franken, according to the agency’s release. The business will use the grant to install energy efficiency equipment on an anaerobic digester, which is expected to save $116,000 per year. The project will replace 88% of the company’s energy use per year — enough to power 494 homes.

See the full list of funded projects in the release.

— Applications for the StartingBlock HardTech Accelerator are now being accepted through May 17.

The Madison-based accelerator is meant for entrepreneurs building a physical product or working on sensors, hardware, robots, devices, measuring equipment or batteries in the manufacturing, food and beverage, agriculture or energy industries.

The 16-week program will start June 21 and end Oct. 3. Applicants will receive expert guidance and mentorship, customized training funding opportunities and peer learning and collaboration.

Participants will have a mix of virtual and in-person meetings.

Applications can be found here.

See more at Madison Startups.

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