MHA Today | June 2, 2023

Staff Contact: Sarah Willson

CMS issued a final rule to end the vaccine mandate for health care workers. The rule will be published in the Federal Register on Monday, June 5, and will be effective 60 days from the actual date of publication. However, CMS will not be enforcing the vaccine mandate from now through the 60-day waiting period. The decision for CMS to end the vaccination requirements was expected based on information provided in a recent memo. MHA issued an issue brief with additional information.

OSHA recently convened a panel of small businesses to discuss a possible workplace violence standard for the health care and social assistance industries. The potential standard would apply to a variety of settings, including hospitals and ambulatory outpatient clinics. Public comments on the panel’s final report and other materials will be accepted until Monday, July 3.

United Healthcare recently announced a gastroenterology endoscopy policy that would require prior authorization of nonscreening colonoscopy services. Due to significant pushback by many stakeholders, UHC is revising the policy by replacing the prior authorization requirement with an Advance Notification process for nonscreening GI procedures. The AN process will provide an opportunity for physician education and allow UHC to collect more data within their 2024 Gold Card administrative simplification program. According to UHC, administrative denials for failure to submit advance notification will not be issued. The revised policy is effective as of June 1.