Joint Commission to assess compliance with CMS staff-vaccination rule during survey process
Beginning Jan. 27, 2022, the Joint Commission will begin assessing compliance with federal rules requiring healthcare staff members to be vaccinated against COVID-19, the Joint Commission announced in a news release.
The “Omnibus COVID-19 Health Care Staff Vaccination” interim final rule was published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in the November 5, 2021, Federal Register, the Joint Commission said, adding that further guidance was published by CMS on December 28, 2021.
The rule affects the following Joint Commission deemed programs: Ambulatory Surgical Centers, Critical Access Hospitals, Hospitals, Home Care, Home Infusion Therapy, and Hospice.
On January 27, the COVID-19 staff vaccination requirements will be in effect in the following states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin, along with the District of Columbia and U.S. territories.
As a result of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on Jan. 13, healthcare organizations in the 24 states that were not previously subject to the “Omnibus COVID-19 Health Care Staff Vaccination” rule now are.
Beginning February 14, the Joint Commission said surveyors will begin surveying healthcare facilities in these 24 states for compliance with vaccine requirements: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
