The new CMS interim final rule that requires staff vaccinations against COVID-19 supersedes state or local laws or orders that prevent vaccine mandates. But the CMS rule may not cover all healthcare entities.

Patient characteristics including older age and ethnicity are associated with the successful completion of video telemedicine visits, a new research article says. Telemedicine visits have increased exponentially during the coronavirus pandemic. Challenges associated with access to telemedicine services such availability of broadband service for patients have raised concerns about equity.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) November 4 issued an emergency temporary standard (ETS) requiring employers with 100 or more employees to implement a program of COVID-19 vaccination or regular testing and face coverings to protect unvaccinated workers but not requiring employers to pay for testing. The emergency rule is scheduled to appear in the November 5 Federal Register and requires employers to implement a vaccination or testing program by January 4, 2022.

You are not alone. Take time to read the standards and regulations. It’s OK to ask for help. Lean on your subject matter experts. Use the tools offered to you. Those are the top tips compliance consultants as well as former and current accreditation executives and surveyors want to offer first-time managers in hospital compliance. “The most important tip that I can give any new accredited specialist is to remember that you are not alone in this role,” says Jodi L. Eisenberg, MHA, CPHQ, chief quality officer at Vested Medical, who also worked in hospital compliance and quality in Chicago for more than 20 years.

For years, the medical community has known that manual lifting of patients can lead to work related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) from repeated and improper lifting of heavy objects (like human beings). The problem with manually lifting patients is that it always results in injury, Enos says—it’s not a matter of if, but when. If a nurse or caregiver manually lifts patients often enough, they will develop an WRMSD, even if they use proper body mechanics and technique. And injured staff means fewer hands to take care of patients.

Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data from 2014 shows that for hospital workers, the rate of musculoskeletal injuries due to overexertion was twice the national average (68 per 10,000). The rate for nursing home workers was over three times the average (107 per 10,000), and the rate for ambulance workers was over five times the average (174 per 10,000). More recent studies have only confirmed these numbers.