Supreme Court Ruling on CMS and OSHA Vaccine Mandates
On January 13, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) COVID-19 vaccination requirement for health care workers. The 5-4 decision allows the CMS vaccine mandate to move forward across the U.S. while underlying litigation makes its way through the court system. The vaccine mandate was already in effect for about half of all U.S. states, including Tennessee, and can now be implemented and enforced in the remaining states.
The Supreme Court also ruled against the COVID-19 vaccine mandate from the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) that would have required employers with 100 or more employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or be subject to regular testing.
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CMS Releases Guidance on CMS Vaccine Mandate
CMS released new guidance for its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for health care workers, including updated compliance deadlines of January 27, 2022 and February 28, 2022.
By January 27, 2022, facilities must have:
- implemented policies and procedures ensuring all facility staff are vaccinated for COVID-19, including tracking staff vaccinations and documenting exemptions
- 100% of staff receive at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine or have pending requests for, or have been granted a qualifying exemption, or are identified as having a temporary delay as recommended by the CDC
By January 27, CMS surveyors will begin surveying for compliance.
By February 28, 2022, facilities must have:
- 100% of staff receive the necessary doses to complete the vaccine series (one dose of a single-dose vaccine or all doses of a multiple vaccine series) or have been granted a qualifying exemption or are identified as having a temporary delay as recommended by the CDC
By March 30, 2022, facilities failing to maintain compliance with the 100% standard may be subject to enforcement action.
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TPCA COVID-19 Resources Page
TPCA created a COVID-19 Resources page that contains information and tools for health centers and the general public on a variety of COVID-19 related topics including COVID-19 vaccines, updates, human resources & operations, telehealth, and PPE.
TPCA Members may also access the COVID-19 Vaccine Toolkit for the latest in TN COVID-19 Vaccine distribution as well as timely and relevant resources. |
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Tennessee General Assembly Reconvenes
The state legislature reconvened in Nashville on Tuesday, January 11, and is now officially back in session of the second half 112th Tennessee General Assembly.
Upcoming dates of interest include:
- Governor Lee’s State of State address will take place on January 31st
- the House Bill Filling Deadline is February 2nd
- the Senate Bill Filing Deadline is February 3rd
- TPCA Day on the Hill is March 23rd
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NACHC Policy & Issues Forum is Moving to a Virtual Event
The NACHC Policy & Issues Forum, scheduled for February 14-February 17 has been converted to a fully virtual event due to the current COVID-19 pandemic conditions. All previously scheduled education and general sessions will be offered virtually during February 14-16.
- For those that have registered for in-person attendance, NACHC will move your registration to the virtual conference, so you do not need to do anything. If you are unable to join virtually you may request to cancel and be refunded. Please send your request to conferences@nachc.org.
- If you have not yet registered, but would like to do so, you can register for the fully virtual event here.
- In lieu of the Day on the Hill in Washington, D.C., TPCA will be making virtual appointments for community health centers to meet with Members of Congress at a later date.
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Good Faith Estimate Rule into Effect on January 1
The "Good Faith Estimate" (GFE) rules from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) went into effect on January 1, 2022 and require health centers, and most other health care providers, to provide all uninsured and self-pay patients with a Good Faith Estimate of their out-of-pocket costs if the individual schedules the service at least three business days in advance, or otherwise requests information about charges.
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National Health Service Corps and Nurse Corps Loan Repayment
The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) and Nurse Corps program have received a historic level of funding for FY 2022 and are expected to be able to provide loan repayment to significantly more clinicians than ever before. It is likely that every CHC will be eligible to have its providers funded under the NHSC Loan Repayment program this year, regardless of HPSA score.
January 27, 2022 is the deadline for clinicians to apply for loan repayment through the Nurse Corps.
February 3, 2022 is the deadline for clinicians to apply through the National Health Service Corps.
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Build Back Better Act
The Build Back Better (BBB) Act has yet to come up for a full vote in the Senate, although Senate Democrats still aim to pass the legislation within the next couple of months. The House already passed the BBB Act, a sweeping package which includes funding to address climate change, health care, childcare, and paid family leave. Competing priorities may also affect the BBB Act timeline as the Senate works to pass voting rights legislation and Congress must pass another short-term continuing resolution or a funding bill before February 18, 2022, when the current continuing resolution is set to expire.
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340B
PROTECT 340B Act of 2021
Representatives McKinley (R-WV) and Spanberger (D-VA) introduced the PROTECT 340B Act to combat discriminatory reimbursement policies that threaten health centers’ abilities to provide patients with 340B-eligible medications.
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Take a few minutes to read Embracing The Culture At Mercy Community Healthcare originally published in Franklin Lifestyle.
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Operating a health center in a rural or remote area comes with its own unique challenges. Check out these resources below for information on rural workforce recruitment and retention.
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Share your news!
We want to help spread the word about what's going on at Tennessee's health centers.
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This publication is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of awards totaling $1,367,898 with 0% financed with non-governmental sources, $875,593 with 0% financed with non-governmental sources, $297,184 with 0% financed with non-governmental sources, and $195,000 with 0% financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.
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