Blue Cross windfall

Paramedics trying to save the life of a heart attack victim too often make a critical mistake, killing the patient, according to a new study by the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.
"We found that many people are getting CPR incorrectly, and they’re not surviving," Richard Katschke, associate vice president of public affairs for the Medical College.
The study, which received publicity in a New York Times report earlier this month, determined some paramedics give too many breaths per minute when performing CPR. The researchers said too much ventilation may make it harder for blood to return to the heart and lowers the chance for survival.
The study is just one of several done by Medical College researchers who are working constantly to combat heart disease.
The Medical College has 150 researchers who are focused solely on cardiovascular research, Katschke said. The college has a faculty of about 1,000.
"It’s one of the priorities of the Medical College," Katschke said.
Researchers at the college are working on several studies related to heart disease. They include:
¥ A study to determine which genes in the body are related to high blood pressure. The college received a $8.2 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health for the research.
¥ A study on ischemic heart disease in African-Americans. Ischemic heart disease, in which blood vessels are constricted or blocked, can lead to a heart attack. African-Americans have a higher prevalence of the problem. The college received a $6 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health for the research project.
¥ A research project on sudden heart attacks, which occur without warning signs. Such attacks are especially dangerous because the victim may not know he or she is having a heart attack until it is too late. Researchers are trying to determine how to improve nerve endings around the heart that in some cases do not work properly to provide a painful, but necessary, warning to a heart attack victim.
¥ A study of how heart disease affects women. Although heart disease is often associated with men, it also is the largest killer of women, Katschke said.
As a result of other research projects, according to the Medical College, researchers in the school’s cardiovascular center have identified genetic determinants of cardiovascular disease in African-Americans, discovered a way to use nerve issue for stroke therapies, determined abnormal menstrual cycles in athletes can damage the heart and identified how to use blood sugar to predict heart attack damage.
A significant amount of the money the Medical College is receiving from the 1999 conversion of Blue Cross & Blue Shield United of Wisconsin from a nonprofit entity into a for-profit company called Cobalt Corp. will be used for cardiac care research, Katschke said.
The state required proceeds from the sale of Cobalt Corp. to be divided equally between the Medical College of Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin Medical School to compensate for the years when Blue Cross & Blue Shield did not have to pay taxes.
In June 2003, WellPoint Health Networks Inc. announced it was buying Cobalt Corp. for $906 million. Then in October, Indianapolis-based Anthem Inc. announced it was buying WellPoint Health Networks for $16.4 billion.
The two transactions mean the Medical College of Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin Medical School each will receive about $304 million.
The schools are required to spend 35% of the money for partnerships with community public health organizations. The remaining 65%, or $395 million, must be used for research.
The Medical College identified heart disease and cancer as the two most significant health problems in the state. Therefore, research projects related to the fight against heart disease and cancer will get much of the funding from the Blue Cross & Blue Shield conversion, Katschke said.
"We’re looking at the most severe health problems in the state," Katschke said. "Heart disease and stroke kill more people than all of the other top 10 causes of death combined. In the area of research, we do want to focus on cardiovascular disease and cancer."
The Medical College has not yet determined which specific research projects will be funded by the Blue Cross & Blue Shield conversion money, Katschke said.
April 30, 2004 Small Business Times, Milwaukee