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Before the pandemic hit, remote work was, in most cases, a thing of the future. Concern about the productivity of remote workers caused many employers to resist these arrangements. Employees, they thought, would rather be taking care of laundry or kids than taking care of their duties. Enter Covid-19 – and most employers around the…

Most healthcare employers have been dealing with COVID-19 for a year now. With vaccines widely available for this workforce, we offer five considerations for healthcare employers as they move toward a post-pandemic environment.

  1. Will COVID-19 vaccinations become an annual event?

For years many healthcare providers have required employees to get a flu shot. Are we…

As more healthcare employees receive their COVID-19 vaccinations, questions about when vaccinated healthcare employees can return to work if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms continue to arise.  Coupled with ongoing staffing shortages in the industry, the need for employees to return to work when safe to do so is a pressing concern for many healthcare employers.

To…

As employers in healthcare settings prepare to administer the vaccine to healthcare personnel, they are likely grappling with new practical considerations.  Undoubtedly, one of the most widespread challenges is how to manage employees with potential post-vaccination systemic signs and symptoms (“signs and symptoms”), without unnecessarily imposing work restrictions to the detriment of patient care demands. …

Requiring flu vaccines is nothing new for healthcare employers. However, in light of COVID-19, there is a renewed emphasis and discussion concerning flu vaccines in the workplace.  Healthcare employers are unique because often state or municipal laws regulate when a healthcare employer must require flu vaccinations, permissible exceptions and documentation requirements.  These regulatory obligations are…

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have issued a joint cybersecurity advisory stating they have credible information of an increased and imminent cybercrime threat to U.S. hospitals and healthcare providers.

The advisory describes the tactics, techniques, and procedures…

As the public health emergency from the COVID-19 pandemic eases and some states begin to open the economy, physician practices and other health care services will begin to prepare to welcome their patients back to their offices to provide non-COVID-19 health care services. In anticipation of the re-opening, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services…

Healthcare facilities in California have been required to adhere to mandatory nurse-to-patient ratios since 2004. These ratios vary depending upon the degree of patient care involved. More recently, Massachusetts passed a law requiring mandatory staffing minimums in the state’s ICU’s. Other states are considering jumping on the bandwagon. A California-like bill is currently pending in…