IMDA eNews 101823

The latest news affecting you and your customers…

from the Independent Medical Specialty Dealers Association

Look who’s buying a health system

A venture capital firm – San Francisco-based General Catalyst — is talking about buying a health system to serve as a testing ground for new technologies in its portfolio, according to HealthLeaders. The firm’s executives made the announcement at the recent HLTH Conference in Las Vegas but did not name the health system they are considering purchasing. The venture firm already partners with 20 health systems across 43 states that test out technology developed by its portfolio companies.

Superbugs and mechanical ventilation

The preponderance of emerging pathogens found among patients receiving mechanical ventilation in long-term-care facilities may reflect the vulnerability of high-risk populations (e.g., patients who are chronically ill and receiving ventilation for long periods and who are frequently transferred between acute care hospitals and long-term-care facilities), or may reflect differences in infection prevention practices between these settings, according to data from the Maryland Multi-Drug Resistant Organism Prevention Collaborative, reports MedPage Today. Among 482 patients receiving mechanical ventilation, 30.7% had A. baumannii – 59.5% being carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii, and 6.6% C. auris. The two pathogens are listed by the CDC in the highest category of “urgent” antibiotic-resistant threats due to limited effective antimicrobials.

Women carrying lung cancer’s burden

A recent study in JAMA Network reinforces five-year-old findings from the American Cancer Society which had reported higher lung cancer incidence in women than men younger than 50 years in the US. In the new study, researchers found that the higher lung cancer incidence in women than in men has not only continued in individuals younger than 50 years but also now extends to middle-aged adults, as younger women with a high risk of the disease enter older age. Reasons for this shift are unclear because the prevalence and intensity of smoking are not higher in younger women compared with men except for a slightly elevated prevalence among those born in the 1960s.

Skin substitutes via bioprinting

Bioprinted skin substitutes may serve as an alternative to traditional skin grafts for people with burn injuries or other serious skin wounds, reports the National Institutes of Health. Still in preclinical studies, the approach would involve a portable skin bioprinter system that deposits multiple layers of skin directly into a wound. The recent findings add to evidence that bioprinting technology can successfully regenerate human-like skin to allow healing. While this approach has yet to be tested in people, it confirms that such technologies already can produce skin constructs with the complex structures and multiple cell types present in healthy human skin.

AARC lobbies for oxygen legislation

The American Association for Respiratory Care reports that its Annual Respiratory Fly-In on Sept. 27 saw 93 volunteers attend over 200 meetings on Capitol Hill in both the House and the Senate. AARC asked for Medicare Payment Reform for Oxygen, a piece of legislation soon to be introduced in the Senate by Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana). This legislation is intended to help patients receive liquid oxygen and have access to respiratory therapists through a new payment in the Medicare system. The AARC also advocated for coverage of virtual pulmonary rehab, and highlighted bill number HR 1406, the Sustainable Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Services in the Home Act. A companion bill is anticipated to be introduced shortly in the Senate.

A whole lot of value in Orlando

There’ll be plenty of learning inside and outside the meeting rooms at the 2024 IMDA/HIRA Conference in Orlando, Florida, March 4-6. In formal sessions, you’ll receive updates on issues like how to deal with the threat of cyberattacks, how to navigate the world of contracts, and how to meet the clinical and financial needs of your customers. And outside the meeting rooms you’ll exchange ideas with peers during cocktails and shared meals, the Manufacturers Forum, and, of course, the golf course for those of that persuasion. Come to the 2024 IMDA/HIRA Conference. There’ll be a whole lot of learning going on. And it’s all for just $750 for IMDA members. Click here for more information.