2025 was an interesting time for health care providers with Federal and state laws changes,updates to Critical Access Hospital regulations and Acute hospitals interpretative guidelines and survey procedures impacting several areas of Appendix A, respectively. Federal and Appellate court actions on OB emergency care and record requests seemed to change daily.

This course will cover the new Interpretive Guidelines for Acute hospitals on five sections, and newly released regulations for Critical Access Hospitals, some which mirror regulations already present for Acute hospitals. These changes and updates are not reflected in the current manuals, but hospitals must nonetheless comply. Hospitals that accept Medicare and Medic aid payment must comply with these changes for all patients, regardless of the payment source.

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this program, participants should be able to:

• Describe the new guidelines and regulations for emergency services to include obstetrical emergencies for Acute and CAHs
• Recall the new guidelines for staff requirements for staffing and nursing for psychiatric hospitals and/or units
• Describe the new regulations related to Obstetrical services for both Acute and CAHs
• Recall the new requirements for staff training for obstetrical services

Session Highlight

• ACUTE APPENDIX A UPDATES
  • Quality Assessment Performance Improvement Program
    • Obstetrical Services and four requirements
  • Nursing Services
    • Requirement for RN in outpatient services
  • Emergency Services Readiness
    • New Tag numbers address readiness, protocols, and training
  • Obstetrical Services – New Section
    • Organization
    • Staffing
    • Delivery of services
    • Training
  • Psychiatric Hospitals/Units
    • New guidelines for all standards
      • Staff requirements
      • Nursing, Social, and therapeutic services

• CRITICAL ACCESS NEW REGULATIONS
  • Patient Rights
    • Notice of rights
    • Grievances
    • Exercise of Rights
    • Privacy and confidentiality
    • Restraint or seclusion
    • Staff training requirements
    • Death reporting
    • Visitation
  • Emergency Services
    • Provisions and protocols
    • Staff training
    • Transfer protocols
  • Quality Assessment Performance Improvement
    • New OB and QAPI requirements
  • Obstetrical Services – New Section
    • Organization
    • Staffing
    • Delivery of services
    • Training
  • Resources

Who Should Attend?

• CEOs
• COOs
• CMO
• CNO
• Emergency department manager and physicians
• Compliance director
• Nurse managers/supervisors
• Quality managers
• Risk managers
• Nurses
• Nurse educators
• Patient safety officer
• QAPI leaders and staff

Speaker Profile

Laura Dixon served as the Director, Facility Patient Safety and Risk Management and Operations for COPIC from 2014 to 2020 where she provided safety and risk management consultation and training to facilities, practitioners and staff in multiple states. 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. She served as the Director, Western Region, Patient Safety and Risk Management for The Doctors Company, Napa, California. 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.