CMS issues guidance for SCOTUS vaccine mandate decision

On Jan. 13, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) issued its ruling on a challenge to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requirement that health care facilities accepting CMS payment vaccinate their employees against COVID-19. The Court ruling allowed the CMS vaccine mandate to take effect in all states except Texas, where a preliminary injunction in a separate legal action was in effect. On Wednesday, a federal judge in Texas dismissed the state’s challenge, so the mandate now applies in all 50 states. CMS released updated interpretative guidance on Jan.14 to assist facilities in complying. In related news, the Joint Commission announced its surveyors will adhere to the CMS rule governing staff vaccination against COVID-19 beginning Jan. 27. (AHA News article, 1/14/22)