Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee (D) announced new mask and vaccination requirements for indoor venues, in today's bite-sized hospital and health industry news from New York, Maryland, and Rhode Island.

• New York: Cadence, a digital health start-up for virtual care and remote patient monitoring, has raised $100 million in series B funding, boosting the start-up's valuation to $1 billion. Cadence intends to use the funding to scale its platform with national health systems and expects to employ 155 clinicians by the end of July 2022, according to a Cadence spokesperson. "With care expanding outside of the hospital and into the home, Cadence is assuring the management of chronic conditions is a simple, empowering, everyday event for our patients," said Chris Altchek, Cadence's CEO and founder. (Torrence, Fierce Healthcare, 12/15)

• Maryland: In a new analysis published Wednesday in Health Affairs, CMS' Office of the Actuary found that national health spending in 2020 increased by 9.7% to $4.1 trillion—the highest rate since 2002. According to Micah Hartman, a CMS statistician and lead author of the report, the federal government's "unprecedented spending" to address the Covid-19 pandemic elicited a much higher growth rate than the 4.3% increase in 2019—with approximately $12,530 in health care spending per person in 2020. Overall, the federal government's total health care spending increased by 36% in 2020—an increase largely caused by federal assistance programs, an increase in public health spending, and growth in federal Medicaid payments. (Firth, MedPage Today, 12/15)

• Rhode Island: Gov. Dan McKee (D) on Wednesday announced new mask and vaccination requirements for indoor venues that will go into effect Dec. 20. Under the new rules, masks will be required in indoor venues with more than 250 patrons, regardless of a person's vaccination status. In addition, indoor venues with a capacity of less than 250 will need to require masks or proof of vaccination from all patrons and staff. The requirements will apply to large venues such as restaurants, entertainment venues, and religious and faith-based organizations. According to McKee, this "comprehensive set of actions" came in response to a statewide increase in Covid-19 cases. "The health and safety of Rhode Islanders must always be our top priority," he added. (Serreze, Providence Business Journal, 12/15)