COVID-19 Health Care Staff Vaccination IFC-6
On Friday November 5, 2021, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published a rule requiring all health care facilities certified under Medicare and Medicaid to ensure their staff have received COVID-19 vaccination. The rule is effective immediately. The first compliance deadline is December 6, 2021, and all covered staff must have received all shots for full vaccination by January 4, 2022. CMS has several resources available, including
an infographic, a
webinar recording and
slide deck, and
frequently asked questions (FAQs). CHA has provided a
summary of the rule for members (member login required).
Also on November 5, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration released its COVID-19 Employer Emergency Temporary Standard (OSHA ETS) for facilities with 100 or more employees. In general, if facilities are subject to the CMS rule then that rule takes priority. The CMS FAQs have more information on how the CMS rule interacts with the OSHA ETS and state law requirements.