CMS proposes nursing homes, psychiatric facilities payment bump

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Skilled nursing facilities would get a 3.7% Medicare reimbursement increase in fiscal 2024 under a proposed rule the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services published Tuesday.

CMS also pledged that a long-awaited and controversial regulation establishing minimum staffing ratios at nursing homes will debut this spring. President Joe Biden announced that policy, along with other nursing home industry initiatives, during his State of the Union address in 2022, but CMS has yet to take action to implement it. The nursing home industry strongly opposes federal staffing ratios.

The nursing home payments proposal incorporates new market basket data, a projected increase in productivity and the effects of the Patient Driven Payment Model case-mix classification system the agency finalized in 2018.

CMS also is considering adopting new measures for the skilled nursing facility value-based purchasing program, including data on staff turnover, patients’ functional status after discharge, hospitalization rates for long-term nursing home residents and a modified metric for readmissions.

The draft regulation would make changes to the quality reporting program as well, including updated measures for resident and staff COVID-19 vaccination status.

Nursing home trade groups voiced their approval of boosted federal payments.

“We appreciate that CMS has considered the soaring costs nursing home providers are grappling with due to the labor crisis and record inflation in recent years. It is vital that Medicare reflect the increasing costs—including those imposed by government mandates—nursing homes are facing to ensure our vulnerable residents can access the care they need. We look forward to submitting comments to CMS on this proposed rule,” said American Health Care Association President and CEO Mark Parkinson in a statement on Tuesday. The AHCA represents more than 14,000 long-term care facilities.

Separately, CMS proposed a 1.9% increase in Medicare payments to inpatient psychiatric facilities in fiscal 2024. That draft regulation includes provisions that would assess those providers’ health equity efforts, such as the percentage of patients they screen for social determinants of health. The agency also proposes adopting a patient experience metric. The draft regulation includes similar changes to tracking COVID-19 vaccinations to the nursing home and inpatient rehabilitation provider proposed rules for fiscal 2024.

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Johnson & Johnson offers nearly $9 billion to settle talc lawsuits

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Johnson & Johnson said Tuesday that it will offer at least $8.9 billion to resolve thousands of lawsuits filed by people alleging that the company’s products containing talc caused cancer. 

In a news release, the health and consumer goods company said that its latest proposal to settle the talcum powder litigation, which is payable over 25 years, is $6.9 billion more than its previous offer in connection with a 2021 bankruptcy filing by its LTL Management unit. 

Women have filed a barrage of suits in recent years alleging that J&J’s baby power gave them ovarian cancer or mesothelioma, a cancer that strikes the lungs and other organs.

J&J continues to deny that its talcum powder poses health risks, saying that the settlement offer does not constitute an admission of wrongdoing.

“The company continues to believe that these claims are specious and lack scientific merit,” said Erik Haas, worldwide vice president of litigation at Johnson & Johnson, in a statement. “However, as the bankruptcy court recognized, resolving these cases in the tort system would take decades and impose significant costs on LTL and the system, with most claimants never receiving any compensation.”

J&J has stopped selling its talcum-based baby powder worldwide.

This is a developing story.

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Alain Sherter

Alain Sherter covers business and economic affairs for CBSNews.com.

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Joint Commission data show hospital falls up in 2022

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Healthcare organizations and patients reported more than 1,400 serious adverse events to the Joint Commission in 2022, an increase from recent years, according to data released Tuesday.

Falls, delayed care and wrong-site surgeries continued to be the biggest contributors to severe patient harm and death, the Joint Commission concluded.

The sentinel events in the Joint Commission’s annual review only represent those voluntarily reported and these findings can’t be seen as a representation of industrywide trends, the accrediting organization said in a news release. The figures nevertheless offer a glimpse into patient harm at the 547 healthcare organizations that submitted adverse event reports for 2022.

Here are a few takeaways:

• The total number of reported sentinel events increased by 19% in 2022 compared with 2021, and by 78% compared with 2020. Most events were voluntarily self-reported to the Joint Commission by accredited or certified healthcare entities.
• Of the reported sentinel events, 20% were associated with patient death, 44% with severe temporary harm and 13% with unexpected additional treatments or procedures.
• The number of reported events involving falls rose from 173 in 2020 to 611 in 2022. Last year, 40% were due to patients walking, 23% involved patients falling out of bed and 10% happened while patients used the restroom.
• The Joint Commission cited a lack of fall-risk assessments and inadequate communication between staff during care transitions as root causes for the increased number of falls.
• In the delayed treatment category, 46% of events were related to a delay in care, 38% to a missed diagnosis, 14% to an abnormal test result not being addressed and 2% to an incorrect diagnosis.
• Among the sentinel events related to treatment delays, 66% resulted in death, 17% in severe harm and 14% in permanent harm.
• Nearly 90% of reported sentinel events in 2022 occurred in hospital settings.
• In the home care setting, 43% of reported serious adverse events involved fires related to medical equipment.
• The top sentinel event in ambulatory care settings was wrong-site surgeries at 25% of reported events.

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Digital health funding in Q1 buoyed by 6 deals

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The new reality for digital health funding was present in the first quarter of 2023 despite a slight uptick in mega deals.

A report from Rock Health, a research and digital health venture firm, showed funding for the first three months of 2023 totaled $3.4 billion across 132 total deals. Six mega deals with more than $100 million in funding accounted for 40% of this total. The six deals were from Monogram Health ($375M), ShiftKey ($300M), Paradigm ($203M), ShiftMed ($200M), Gravie ($179M) and Vytalize Health ($100M).

Related: Digital health funding takes a dive in 2022

There were the same number of mega deals from the past three months as there were the entire second half of 2022. But even with this early momentum for large deals, funding throughout the sector has slowed. Throughout the first three months of 2023, digital health companies received $3.4 billion in funding. In each of the past two years, those first-quarter totals topped $6 billion.

Experts say founders seeking venture capital backing just don’t have as much leverage as in previous years.

“Investors are pickier in terms of the solutions they see in the market,” said Peter Micca, national health tech leader in Deloitte’s audit practice. “They want to see a track record. They want to see the size of the [total market demand].”

Investors echoed similar sentiments. Their expectations for digital health companies have fundamentally changed in the past 18 months.

“If anyone didn’t believe we were in a different market condition, [Silicon Valley Bank’s failure] put a stamp on it,” said Dr. Justin Norden, a partner at venture capital firm GSR Ventures. “The world is different.”

The Rock Health report shows that those six larger deals lifted the entire sector. Adriana Krasniansky, research manager at Rock Health, said these deals came from venture firms that had leftover financial reserves and that are selectively choosing which companies to fund.

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Other venture firms without these reserves are holding off. Even with six deals greater than $100 million, the number of later-stage deals dropped precipitously. In 2021, there were 149 Series C and later deals. In 2022, there were a total of 70. Through the first quarter in 2023, there were only 10 later-stage deals. There were 183 deals in the first quarter of 2022 compared to 132 in 2023.

“There used to be a discount for health tech versus other parts of tech because people knew healthcare was harder,” Norden said. “Those models have all soured somewhat from an investor standpoint when capital is more expensive.”

Uncertainty at root of shifting expectations

While investors and experts are still encouraged by healthcare’s need for new digital solutions, they say the overall environment won’t be as friendly for founders.

“I think it’s going to be a tough year for founders,” Krasniansky said. “The funding approach right now is really difficult.”

The shift is leading some founders to consider exit opportunities. Pear Therapeutics, a digital therapeutics company, said last month without financial help it may need to liquidate or restructure.  Mindstrong, a digital mental health company, sold its technology assets to a former competitor last month after shuttering its patient service offerings.

While macroeconomic factors are at play, the nascent nature of digital health and uncertainty over of how companies will be valued long term could be partially to blame, experts say.

“What kind of multiples do you assign on early growth stories that have yet to achieve profitability?” asked Scott Schoenhaus, managing director of healthcare IT equity research at KeyBanc Capital Markets. “I think that’s probably part of the reason you’ve seen pullback from venture capitalists and private equity funding.”

This story first appeared in Digital Health Business & Technology.

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Infinigate Group Appoints Kristiina Leppänen as new Chief Financial Officer

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Rotkreuz, Switzerland: 03/04/23: The Infinigate Group, the value-add distributor of cybersecurity, secure network and secure cloud, is appointing Kristiina Leppänen as the new Chief Financial Officer.

Kristiina brings over 25 years’ experience in international finance and leadership, with deep expertise in M&A, change management and a strong track record of value creation. This is demonstrated by the key role she played in the creation of Europe’s second largest Electronics Manufacturing Services, having been instrumental to the successful merger of two companies, the Enics Group and GPV International, and having driven profitable growth globally.

Kristiina Leppänen

Kristiina helps to steer the next phase of the Infinigate Group’s evolution, following its considerable expansion through both organic and acquisitive growth, to achieve the potential inherent in the combined assets of the Infinigate Group and the buoyant cybersecurity market.

“I am excited to join the Infinigate Group at this important juncture, with a world of opportunity ahead. I look forward to applying my knowledge and experience, adding structure and realising our considerable potential by working in close alignment with the teams, in what is clearly a high-energy environment.”

In addition to her financial expertise, Kristiina is a skilled people leader and places particular focus on fostering group spirit and promoting fruitful collaboration.

Klaus Schlichtherle, Chief Executive Officer of the Infinigate Group, says: “I am delighted to welcome Kristiina to the Infinigate Group family. Her talent and experience provides us with the financial steering needed for our next phase of growth – to our €5B revenue target by 2027.”

About the Infinigate Group
The Infinigate Group is a value-add distributor, fully committed to sustainable, leading-edge cybersecurity solutions. Founded in 1996 in Switzerland, it has grown to incorporate the entire EMEA region, with offices in 30 countries and partners in more than 50. Our more than 1,200 dedicated employees, half of them with in-depth technical knowledge, are passionate about best-of-breed cybersecurity, secure networks and secure cloud for SMB and enterprise market segments, for on-premise and cloud-based IT infrastructure. The Infinigate Group relies on strong country organisations, which can adapt to the needs of their respective partners, MSSPs and vendors, by providing technical, marketing, sales and professional services. For additional information visit: http://www.infinigate.com/

Since 2022 Nuvias, Vuzion and Starlink are part of the Infinigate Group. Find out more about our new offerings at www.Nuvias.com, www.Vuzion.cloud and www.StarlinkME.net

ENDS

For further press information, please contact:

Markus Drewes: Markus.Drewes@Infinigate.com

Orietta Sutherberry: +44 (0)7741 149 367 – Orietta.Sutherberry@Infinigate.com

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Infinigate Group Appoints Catherine Oudot as new Managing Director in France

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Paris, France: 03/04/23 – Infinigate, the value-add distributor of cybersecurity, secure networks and secure cloud, is appointing Catherine Oudot as Managing Director of Infinigate France.

Catherine brings over twenty years’ experience in the IT channel, having been responsible for channel management and business development, marketing and sales strategy, with substantial revenue growth results, across both channel and vendor organisations, including Arrow, Check Point, Malwarebytes, and more recently as Head of Channel in France for Kaspersky.

Catherine Oudot

In her role, Catherine will realise the potential that the recent Infinigate acquisitions offer, bringing the local team together as a close-knit, high-performing unit, closely aligned to the objective of delivering added value to partners and vendors alike.

“I am excited to help our partners take advantage of the opportunity offered by a dynamic French market added to the extended potential the extended Infinigate organization enables by supporting them in assisting their customers in their digitisation journey. We have a real unique, innovative offering thanks to our specialist services, grounded in our cybersecurity expertise. I am looking forward to uniting the team and providing the leadership to enable it to achieve its potential”.

Infinigate will assist small and medium sized channel partner organisations, a sizeable part of the French channel, in developing targeted and differentiated offerings for their business audience. Catherine will lead Infinigate France and its ongoing expansion in cloud offering, leveraging her passion for innovation and team development.

Andreas Bechtold, President, Europe, Infinigate Group, comments: “The French market offers a substantial opportunity for development for Infinigate. Catherine will lead our French team to take advantage of the considerable growth prospect available to us and our partners, leveraging her expertise, experience, energy and determination.”

About the Infinigate Group
The Infinigate Group is a value-add distributor, fully committed to sustainable, leading-edge cybersecurity solutions. Founded in 1996 in Switzerland, it has grown to incorporate the entire EMEA region, with offices in 30 countries and partners in more than 50. Our more than 1,200 dedicated employees, half of them with in-depth technical knowledge, are passionate about best-of-breed cybersecurity, secure networks and secure cloud for SMB and enterprise market segments, for on-premise and cloud-based IT infrastructure. The Infinigate Group relies on strong country organisations, which can adapt to the needs of their respective partners, MSSPs and vendors, by providing technical, marketing, sales and professional services. For additional information visit: http://www.infinigate.com/

Since 2022 Nuvias, Vuzion and Starlink are part of the Infinigate Group. Find out more about our new offerings at www.Nuvias.com, www.Vuzion.cloud and www.StarlinkME.net

ENDS

For further press information, please contact:

Markus Drewes: Markus.Drewes@Infinigate.com

Orietta Sutherberry: +44 (0)7741 149 367 – Orietta.Sutherberry@Infinigate.com

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CDC says multi-state salmonella outbreak that hospitalized 3 is linked to flour

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in an investigation notice published on Thursday that flour is believed to be the source of a multi-state salmonella outbreak that has sickened about a dozen people and hospitalized three.

It’s not clear what brand the outbreak could be related to, the agency said.

“State and local public health officials are interviewing people about the foods they ate in the week before they got sick. Of the 7 people interviewed, 6 (86%) reported eating raw dough or batter,” the CDC said. “Flour was the only common ingredient in the raw dough or batter people reported eating. Investigators are working to identify a specific brand of raw flour that is linked to illnesses.” 

Most flour is raw, meaning that it hasn’t been treated to kill germs that cause food poisoning. When flour is mixed into dough or batter and baked, salmonella germs are killed in the process, but people can get sick from the raw dough or batter.

No deaths have been linked to the outbreak at this time, the CDC said. Sick people have been identified in California, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee and Virginia. The first illness was reported in early December 2022, the agency said. 

“The true number of sick people in this outbreak is likely much higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses,” the agency said in the investigation’s details. 

To avoid illness, the agency recommends not eating raw dough or batter, because even small amounts can cause illness. Baked goods should also be prepared according to instructions, to make sure germs are fully killed. This warning is in effect even when there is not an outbreak, the CDC said. 

Heat-treated flour, which is not raw, can be used as a substitute in recipes for homemade playdough or in raw goods. 

Symptoms of salmonella include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps. The symptoms can start within six hours of starting the bacteria, but can begin as much as six days later. Most people recover without treatment in four to seven days, the CDC reports. Older people, children and those with weakened immune system may need to be hospitalized if they experience a severe illness. The CDC recommends calling a healthcare provider if you experience a diarrhea for more than three days, a high fever, signs of dehydration or extreme vomiting. 

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Kerry Breen

Kerry Breen is a news editor and reporter for CBS News. Her reporting focuses on current events, breaking news and substance use.

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