Here are seven updates to know:
1. President Joe Biden on Sept. 9 revealed a mandate that federal workers and contractors be vaccinated against COVID-19, without the option to undergo weekly testing.
2. Advocates of conspiracy group QAnon coordinated demands for physicians at Amita Resurrection Medical Center in Chicago to administer ivermectin to a follower of the online movement hospitalized with COVID-19.
3. CMS plans to require ASCs, along with all other healthcare providers, to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for staff as a condition of participating in Medicare.
4. The mu COVID-19 variant, deemed a variant of concern by the World Health Organization on Aug. 30, has been detected in 167 people in Los Angeles.
5. Tidelands Health fired one of its employees for not complying with the Georgetown, S.C.-based system’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, a spokesperson confirmed to Becker’s.
6. Hospitals and health systems are delaying nonemergent surgeries as COVID-19 continues to surge nationwide. Here are nine hospitals and health systems that have delayed nonemergent surgery since Sept. 1.
7. Here’s one physician’s case for refusing to treat unvaccinated patients in person.
At the Becker’s 32nd Annual Meeting: The Business and Operations of ASCs, taking place October 29-31 in Chicago, ASC leaders, surgeons and healthcare executives will explore strategies to drive growth, enhance operational performance, navigate reimbursement challenges and prepare for the future of ambulatory surgery. Apply for complimentary registration now.