Starting in January 2013, hospitals in the U.S. are obligated to release their employee influenza vaccination rates to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services via the National Healthcare Safety Network.
The hospital system I work for is adopting a new influenza vaccine program which attempts to gain the maximum amount of employee compliance with accepting the vaccine. This is being done by forcing employees involved in direct patient care to wear a surgical mask during the flu season if they decline the vaccine for any reason, including medical and religious exemptions.
Employees will have from October 15 to November 15 to refuse or accept the flu vaccine. If they accept, they will receive a silver sticker on their badges and will not have to wear a mask. If they refuse, then they will receive a blue sticker to wear and will be required to wear a mask when involved in patient care from December 1, 2012 to March 15, 2013. Does this scenario sound familiar to anyone?
The hospital is not yet reporting the consequences of not "formally declining" the vaccine, but one can assume that it will come up on that employee's performance review, and he or she will be subject to disciplinary action. Managers and various "rounding programs" will ensure and enforce employee compliance.
Since the vaccination rates are being publicly reported on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Hospital Compare website (which by the way uses tracking cookies so you might not want to click on the link), hospitals are afraid of how a low compliance rate will look, preventing patients (customers) from receiving health care at their facilities (spending $$$). Also, since Medicare and Medicaid is requiring this information from hospitals, you can bet that employee vaccination rates are eventually, if not already, going to effect hospital reimbursement, another motive for adopting this new program.
Of course hospitals are going to try to embarrass employees into getting the shot. Even if the employee has a medical or religious exemption, the exemption request must be "approved" and the employee still has to take the same action as those who declined the vaccine and wear a mask and blue sticker. So now the employer unnecessarily knows medical and religious information about the employee.
Currently in the state of Ohio, "immunization of workers is not a requirement for hospital accreditation." However, "individual hospitals or hospital systems may have their own requirements" (http://www.lsc.state.oh.us/membersonly/128immunization.pdf)
Previously, my employer monitored who accepted and rejected the vaccine, but never enforced the wearing of masks and colored stickers. They could easily maintain their previous program and still have data to send to HHS. However, this "outing" of non-compliant employees makes me question whether or not I want to work for my employer. I can only see policies like this getting worse as time goes on, especially when people depend on government assistance for health care needs.
The hospital system I work for is adopting a new influenza vaccine program which attempts to gain the maximum amount of employee compliance with accepting the vaccine. This is being done by forcing employees involved in direct patient care to wear a surgical mask during the flu season if they decline the vaccine for any reason, including medical and religious exemptions.
Employees will have from October 15 to November 15 to refuse or accept the flu vaccine. If they accept, they will receive a silver sticker on their badges and will not have to wear a mask. If they refuse, then they will receive a blue sticker to wear and will be required to wear a mask when involved in patient care from December 1, 2012 to March 15, 2013. Does this scenario sound familiar to anyone?
The hospital is not yet reporting the consequences of not "formally declining" the vaccine, but one can assume that it will come up on that employee's performance review, and he or she will be subject to disciplinary action. Managers and various "rounding programs" will ensure and enforce employee compliance.
Since the vaccination rates are being publicly reported on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Hospital Compare website (which by the way uses tracking cookies so you might not want to click on the link), hospitals are afraid of how a low compliance rate will look, preventing patients (customers) from receiving health care at their facilities (spending $$$). Also, since Medicare and Medicaid is requiring this information from hospitals, you can bet that employee vaccination rates are eventually, if not already, going to effect hospital reimbursement, another motive for adopting this new program.
Of course hospitals are going to try to embarrass employees into getting the shot. Even if the employee has a medical or religious exemption, the exemption request must be "approved" and the employee still has to take the same action as those who declined the vaccine and wear a mask and blue sticker. So now the employer unnecessarily knows medical and religious information about the employee.
Currently in the state of Ohio, "immunization of workers is not a requirement for hospital accreditation." However, "individual hospitals or hospital systems may have their own requirements" (http://www.lsc.state.oh.us/membersonly/128immunization.pdf)
Previously, my employer monitored who accepted and rejected the vaccine, but never enforced the wearing of masks and colored stickers. They could easily maintain their previous program and still have data to send to HHS. However, this "outing" of non-compliant employees makes me question whether or not I want to work for my employer. I can only see policies like this getting worse as time goes on, especially when people depend on government assistance for health care needs.
I don't understand how this isn't a HIPPA violation.
ReplyDeleteThat's how I feel. I'm looking into it to see if it is and what can be done about it.
DeleteThere is no way that this is morally or ethically RIGHT. I asked my employer if I were not a Christian and was opposed to the flu vaccine because of religious beliefs (ie if I were muslim, Jewish), if I could be exempt then. He said well yes of course! However, because I am a Christian and am generally concerned for my health and want to take control of my health and say no to the flu shot, I cannot. Where are our rights going?
ReplyDeleteWell there is a religious and/or medical exemption form you can fill out where I work, but the thing is you have to get it approved by Human Resources and you still have to wear a blue sticker on your badge along with a mask around patients. Instead of segregating people like this to embarrass them, they should make everyone wear a mask if they were really concerned about the patients.
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