Dental Offices Not Included in Federal Vaccination Mandate of Health Care Workers

This week, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the finalized rules mandating Covid-19 vaccinations for health-care workers at facilities paid by the program.

The rule extends the vaccine mandate to 17 million health-care workers, but does not include personnel working in dental offices.

Workers at hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, dialysis facilities, home health agencies, and long-term care facilities must be vaccinated by January 4, 2022. The rule does not offer an option for workers to get tested regularly in lieu of vaccination.

Some employers have been reluctant to require the vaccine over fear workers might quit or not comply, worsening nationwide staffing shortages that already limit access to care. Protests against the mandates have popped up across the country, generally from people who believe they are an imposition on their bodily autonomy.

You can read the full rule here.