Online Seminar Series – CMS Acute Care Hospital Conditions of Participation (CoPs) 2026

Part One: Tuesday, March 24
Part Two: Thursday, March 26
Part Three: Tuesday, March 31
Part Four: Thursday, April 2
Part Five: Tuesday, April 7
Part Six: Thursday, April 9
Part Seven: Tuesday, April 14
Part Eight: Thursday, April 16
Part Nine: Tuesday, April 21
Part Ten: Thursday, April 23
Part Eleven: Tuesday, April 28

ABOUT THE SERIES:

This eleven-part online seminar series will cover a majority of the CMS Hospital CoP manual – Appendix A. It is an excellent way to educate everyone in your hospital on all the sections of the CMS hospital manual, especially ones that apply to their department.

Every hospital that accepts payment for Medicare and Medicaid patients must comply with the Conditions of Participation. The manual has interpretive guidelines that must be followed for all patients treated in the hospital or hospital owned departments. Facilities with deemed status accredited by other accrediting associations – The Joint Commission, HFAP, CIHQ, and DNV Healthcare must follow these regulations.

Sections addressed include infection prevention and control and antibiotic stewardship program, QAPI, medical record services, dietary, utilization review, emergency services, surgical services, anesthesia, PACU, medical staff, nursing services, lab, rehabilitation, radiology, respiratory, physical environment, pharmacy, organ and tissue procurement, patient rights including restraint and seclusion, and discharge planning.

The interpretive guidelines provide rationales for the regulation and serve as the basis for determining hospital compliance. Though some changes from 2020 continue to have interpretive guidelines and survey procedures pending, hospitals are still expected to comply with the regulations. This program will include the 2020 changes, 2023, 2024 and 2025 updates and where some of the gaps continue, including absence of interpretive guidelines and survey procedures, and any recent updates.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND:

CEOs, chief legal officers, chief nursing officers, chief of health information, chief operations officers, compliance officers, director of rehab, directors of radiology, discharge planners, infection control, nurse educators, nurses and medical staff, outpatient director, patient safety officers, pharmacists, quality managers, risk managers, social workers.

SPEAKER:

Laura A. Dixon recently served as the Regional Director of Risk Management and Patient Safety for Kaiser Permanente Colorado where she provided consultation and resources to clinical staff. Prior to joining Kaiser, she served as the Director, Facility Patient Safety and Risk Management and Operations for COPIC from 2014 to 2020. In her role, Ms. Dixon provided patient safety and risk management consultation and training to facilities, practitioners, and staff in multiple states. Such services included creation of and presentations on risk management topics, assessment of healthcare facilities; and development of programs and compilation of reference materials that complement physician-oriented products.

Prior to joining COPIC, she served as the Director, Western Region, Patient Safety and Risk Management for The Doctors Company, Napa, California. In this capacity, she provided patient safety and risk management consultation to the physicians and staff for the western United States. Ms. Dixon’s legal experience includes medical malpractice insurance defense and representation of nurses before the Colorado Board of Nursing.

Ms. Dixon has more than twenty years of clinical experience in acute care facilities, including critical care, coronary care, peri-operative services, and pain management.

As a registered nurse and attorney, Laura holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Regis University, RECEP of Denver, a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from Drake University College of Law, Des Moines, Iowa, and a Registered Nurse Diploma from Saint Luke’s School Professional Nursing, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She is licensed to practice law in Colorado and California.