CMS Answers Common Questions About Vaccination Rule: 11 Takeaways

Source: Becker’s Hospital Review November 12, 2021

By ensuring all eligible staff members are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, healthcare facilities can help stabilize the healthcare system and eliminate potential incentives for staff to move to different settings or to different states, CMS said Nov. 10 during a call about the agency’s new vaccination rule.

The vaccination requirement will also “ensure that a significant number of healthcare staff are vaccinated across [healthcare] settings, reducing staff quarantines and improving safety no matter where patients seek care,” Lee Fleisher, MD, CMO and director of CMS’ Center for Clinical Standards and Quality, said during the call.

Along with discussing whether the requirement will exacerbate staffing shortages, CMS also addressed common questions related to the Omnibus COVID-19 Health Care Staff Vaccination Interim Final Rule, including how the agency intends to address vaccination of surveyors tasked with ensuring compliance with Medicare and Medicaid health and safety regulations.