On Tuesday, April 27, 2021, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC) unveiled updated guidelines detailing activities that vaccinated people can safely resume. The guidelines continue the trend of public health authorities relaxing previous guidelines for
Urgent New Survey Standards From The Joint Commission Address Aisle Widths and CAH Suites
This week The Joint Commission (“TJC”) announced new requirements that are effective immediately and require suites to have aisles with at least “36 inches of clearance from side to side to facilitate egress.” The standard aligns with the National Fire
COVID-19 Update – HHS OCR Releases Legal Guidance for Expanding Vaccine Access to People with Disabilities and Older Adults
On April 13, 2021, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) published a press release with resources, including from the Administration for Community Living (“ACL”) and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning
COVID-19 Update: CDC Updates Travel Guidelines While New Double Variant Emerges
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) has updated its travel guidelines, advising that there is low risk for fully vaccinated individuals to travel domestically. The CDC further provides that for fully vaccinated individuals COVID-19 testing or
COVID-19 Update: CDC Updates School Guidelines
On March 19, 2021, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) released updated guidelines for K-12 schools that is anticipated to facilitate the reopening of schools across the country. The CDC states that “[o]pening schools for in-person learning
COVID-19 Update: CDC Releases Guidance for Vaccinated Individuals
Ever since the U.S. declaration of a public health emergency on March 13, 2020, Americans have wondered what life would look like if and when a vaccine was developed. In December, the first vaccine was administered in the U.S.
COVID-19 Update: CDC Increasing Sequencing for Virus Variants
The Biden Administration recently announced additional funding to increase genomic sequencing of COVID-19 to 25,000 samples a week. In a recent article in the Journal for the American Medical Association, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”)
COVID-19 Update: CDC Recommends Double Masking and Changes Quarantine Guidelines
Two recent updates in COVID-19 guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) demonstrate the challenges faced by public health officials to appreciate and incorporate the ever-changing science surrounding the global pandemic.
New guidance from the CDC
The Joint Commission’s First Special Edition Sentinel Event Alert
Recognizing its unique position to understand and shed light on the collective experience of America’s health care organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic, on February 2, 2021, the Joint Commission published the first in its series of special edition Sentinel Event
COVID-19 Update: Biden Executive Order Creates Special Enrollment Period
On January 28, 2021, President Biden issued an Executive Order entitled Executive Order on Strengthening Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (“Executive Order”). “In light of the exceptional circumstances caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic”, the Executive Order creates a