A federal appeals court on Thursday upheld a lower-court decision to block the government from enforcing its COVID-19 vaccine requirement for federal employees — overturning an earlier decision by a smaller panel of its own justices.

The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals reigns in a rare en banc hearing that an interim nationwide injunction on the vaccination mandate should remain in place while the case proceeds.

The decision overturns that of a three-judge appellate panel reigns last April to maintain the Biden administration’s vaccination mandate for federal employees.

It is questionable whether the Texas District Court that issued the injunction had jurisdiction given the existence of the Civil Service Reform Act (CSRA), which protects workers from unfair or undesirable practices by federal employers.

However, the full Court of Appeals found that the case, brought by a 6,000-member organization called Feds for Medical Freedom, falls outside the CSRA’s purview as they challenge the vaccination mandate on the grounds that the president has exceeded his constitutional authority .

“The plaintiffs’ complaint does not challenge any personnel actions that are reviewable under the CSRA. Nor does it question staffing actions they might hypothetically take in the future,” the court said in Thursday’s opinion. “Rather, plaintiffs allege that the President’s vaccination mandate violates the US Constitution and the US Constitution [Administrative Procedure Act].”

The court also noted that eventually both sides “must come to terms with the White House’s announcement that the COVID emergency will finally end on May 11, 2023.”

Biden first issued the immunization mandate in September 2021, ordering that all federal employees be vaccinated or face disciplinary action, including termination. However, the Order allowed exceptions for religious and medical reasons.

What you should know:

– Abbott today released the latest installment in the company’s multi-year Beyond Intervention series of global healthcare market research aimed at uncovering challenges in the patient journey of people with cardiovascular disease and opportunities to improve patient care to identify.

– The latest report comes from a survey of more than 2,000 patients, physicians and healthcare leaders and highlights challenges arising from a systemic lack of uptake of consumer technologies by healthcare providers, poor adherence to post-surgical therapy and consumer dissatisfaction with an intervention result in .

Improving postoperative outcomes and patient satisfaction

insights from Beyond intervention Identify key opportunities physicians, healthcare leaders, and health technology companies can consider to improve patient care. These include providing a comprehensive care experience to increase patient satisfaction, removing barriers to post-surgical care, promoting better experiences and outcomes, and engaging patients in shared decision-making. The report highlights the differences in how patients, physicians and healthcare leaders perceive the effectiveness of technology in the care system.

“The proliferation of smart devices, wearables and remote self-monitoring tools not only provides granular data on recovery, progression and adherence to therapy, but is also critical to driving patient engagement and thereby behavior change,” said Nick West MD, chief medical officer and divisional vice president of medical Affairs in Abbott’s vessel business. “MedTech’s role is to find synergies between patients’ and physicians’ preferred access to information to enable positive experiences and outcomes for all patients.”

In the third year is the Beyond intervention Initiative provides ongoing insight into the state of global cardiovascular care through primary research examining the perspectives of approximately 2,000 patients, physicians and healthcare leaders. The research provides further insight into the post-procedure/post-discharge patient journey, examining attitudes and appetites for technology to better support patients’ recovery from vascular procedures.

Key findings from the research include:

1. Patients, physicians and healthcare leaders agree that establishing multiple touchpoints helps patients navigate their post-procedure journey. Most patients surveyed (90%) believe that the two most important factors in managing their treatment journey are having a clear understanding of the next steps in managing their condition and having all of their questions answered.

2. There are significant discrepancies between patient and physician opinions on the importance of digital health tools. Patients consider access to an online patient portal and the use of digital health tools to be more important to their overall experience (65% and 62%, respectively) than doctors do to their patients (38% and 35%, respectively). While patients indicated a need for improvement with these tools, physicians and healthcare leaders already found the use of these tools satisfactory, indicating gaps in perception.

3. Patients face many obstacles when trying to manage their condition and receive optimal post-procedure care. Almost half of the patients surveyed reported that finding motivation and time to cope with their condition was difficult. A similar proportion described the ongoing costs associated with treatment as a difficult task. Lack of education and awareness of the progressive nature of cardiovascular disease is a significant barrier to postoperative care and adherence to therapy.

4. Many patients see the value of technology in managing their own health and well-being. Almost 60% of patients and half of all healthcare leaders would trust artificial intelligence (AI) to help diagnose or recommend the best treatment; however, just over a third of physicians agree (34–35%). Still, 48% of physicians believe big data will help them deliver better care in the future.

“Those working at the intersection of healthcare and technology need to bridge the digital divide and work towards greater use of technology in care,” said Jennifer McCaney, Ph.D., executive director at UCLA Biodesign. “We cannot assume that every person or patient has equal access to or the means to interact with health systems or care teams. Stakeholders throughout the care journey, from product manufacturers to payers and providers, need to empower patients with accessible technologies that improve the patient experience.”