Healthcare providers across the U.S., including surgery centers, must once again require employees to be fully vaccinated or obtain an exemption after the Supreme Court upheld CMS' COVID-19 vaccination mandate for eligible healthcare workers.
The Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision Jan. 13 to keep in place the vaccination mandate for healthcare workers at Medicare- and Medicaid-participating facilities against a challenge from 25 states.
CMS updated its policies Dec. 28, 2021, stating that healthcare organizations must require the vaccinations or exemptions by Feb. 28 in the other 25 states not challenging the rule.
The court, also on Jan. 13, blocked the enforcement of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's policy to require vaccinations or testing for businesses with at least 100 employees.
Read more about the Supreme Court's decisions here.