Tag: COVID-19 Vaccine
Federal judge halts vaccine mandate
December 9, 2021HME News Staff
WASHINGTON – A federal judge in Georgia has temporarily halted the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal contractors across the country, AAHomecare reports. The vaccine requirement does not apply to HME providers. The action puts a hold on a Sept. 9 Executive Order requiring federal contractors and their subcontractors to comply with workplace safety guidelines developed by a federal task force that, ultimately, mandated that their employees be fully vaccinated by...
OSHA suspends vaccine enforcement
November 18, 2021HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - OSHA is suspending enforcement of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for employers with 100-plus employees. The suspension comes after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit fully blocked Biden’s executive order requiring companies with more than 100 workers to mandate vaccination for their employees. The court ordered that OSHA “take no steps to implement or enforce” the vaccine mandate “until further court order.” FMI: https://www.osha.gov/coronavirus/ets2
CMS implements vaccine requirement
November 4, 2021HME News Staff
WASHINGTON – CMS will require COVID-19 vaccinations for eligible staff at health care facilities that participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. DME suppliers are not listed among the healthcare provider and supplier types subject to COVID-19 vaccine requirements. “Ensuring patient safety and protection from COVID-19 has been the focus of our efforts in combating the pandemic and the constantly evolving challenges we’re seeing,” said CMS Administrator Chiquita...
Administration expands vaccination requirements for health care settings
September 13, 2021HME News Staff
WASHINGTON – The Biden-Harris administration will require COVID-19 vaccination of staff within all Medicare- and Medicaid-certified facilities, including HME providers, to protect both them and patients from the virus and its more contagious Delta variant, CMS announced on Sept. 9.
CMS, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), says emergency regulations requiring vaccinations for nursing home workers will be expanded to include hospitals, dialysis...
Crushing it? For the diabetes herd, technology is path forward
April 13, 2021Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
I got my first COVID vaccination in early April and immediately slacked my co-workers to share an image of my “Crushing COVD-19” sticker. Along with the obligatory congratulatory emojis, came the obligatory jokes about government chips and tracking.
As a person with diabetes, I’m used to tracking. I track my numbers, my insulin doses and my carbs. In turn, my Freestyle Libre sensor tracks me and sends data wirelessly to the Diabetes Center from my iPhone (no more arriving at...
Survey: Americans prefer to get COVID-19 vax from trusted provider, says NCPA
March 10, 2021HME News Staff
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Four out of 10 Americans prefer to receive COVID-19 vaccines from a trusted health care provider, such as their local pharmacist or doctor, according to a new survey from the National Association of Community Pharmacists. Only 4% prefer to be vaccinated at a mass health event. “Pharmacies are being underutilized,” said NCPA CEO B. Douglas Hoey, pharmacist, MBA. “Millions of Americans would prefer to get immunized by a local health care provider, like...
Vaccinations ease business, but can be difficult to secure
February 19, 2021Liz Beaulieu, Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine – The majority of respondents to a recent HME Newspoll say they’re eligible for COVID-19 vaccines, but they’re not immune to the difficulties securing access to them.
Nearly 80% of respondents to the poll say they are eligible for vaccines in their states.
“We have made it mandatory in our office,” wrote one respondent. “It makes a huge difference to have my delivery technicians and supporting...
NCPA: Increase vaccine supply to community pharmacists
February 17, 2021HME News Staff
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – More COVID-19 vaccine needs to be made available to local pharmacies to speed up the rate of vaccinations, says the National Community Pharmacists Association. Lack of vaccine supply has been an ongoing issue during the rollout. When given access, community pharmacies are able to quickly and efficiently vaccinate their patients, including those who are overlooked or hard to reach, the association says. “Independent pharmacists are located in communities of...
Quinlan’s Pharmacy and Medical Equipment works to help slow pandemic
January 29, 2021Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
WAYLAND, N.Y. – Provider John Quinlan has been working the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, both taking care of patients and advocating for vaccine access for his employees and the general public.
As both a home medical equipment provider and a pharmacy, he’s well positioned to do both.
“We’re working with hospitals and other providers to secure beds and concentrators – there’s a huge shortage...
Pharmacy groups call for expanding network of vaccine providers
January 27, 2021HME News Staff
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The National Community Pharmacists Association and the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists have called on the country’s state governors to enlist independent long-term care pharmacies in their COVID-19 vaccination efforts by leveraging the new Federal Transfer Program, which allocates vaccines to independent pharmacies. In a joint letter to the National Governors Association, the two groups point to the bumpy rollout of vaccinations provided...