Every hospital that has a dedicated emergency department and accepts Medicare and Medicaid payment must follow the federal law and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Conditions of Participation Interpretive Guidelines on the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA).
Hospitals without such emergency departments must comply with EMTALA if they have specialized capabilities. For example, EMTALA can impact obstetrical patients and behavioral health patients.
This 2-part webinar will cover the regulations and interpretive guidelines regarding EMTALA. It will cover all twelve sections – Tag Numbers – plus an additional section for on-call physicians and the shared and community care plan process.
The program will also briefly discuss a case that has created an enormous expansion of hospital and practitioner liability under federal law. The case, Moses v. Providence Hospital and Medical Centers, Inc., No. 07-2111 (6th Cir. April 2009), overruled the CMS regulation that EMTALA obligations end when the hospital admits the patient in good faith.
It is anticipated that healthcare will see more EMTALA fines and deficiencies due to ongoing legislation impacting EMTALA and patient care.
Registration Pricing
Member: $199 per part in webinar series
Non-Member: $249 per part in webinar series
Registration includes unlimited connections per registered facility.
Who Should Attend:
Emergency department managers, medical director, ED physicians and nurses and ED education staff; OB managers and nurses; behavioral health director and staff; CNO, nursing supervisors, nurse educators and staff nurses; outpatient directors; compliance officers, legal counsel, and risk manager; directors of hospital-based ambulance services; director of registration and staff; on-call physicians, chief medical officer, chief financial officer, patient safety officer and Joint Commission coordinator.
Continuing Education
Continuing Nursing Education
This educational activity is being submitted for approval to award continuing nursing education contact hours through an accredited approver of the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Approval is pending. Additional details will be provided once approval is confirmed.
American College of Healthcare Executives
By viewing the EMTALA Update 2026 Webinar Series offered by Texas Hospital Association participants may earn up to 4.0 ACHE Qualified Education Hours toward initial certification or recertification of the Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) designation.
EMTALA Update 2026 – Part 1
Wednesday, July 22, 2026 | Noon – 1:30 p.m.
Speaker: Laura A. Dixon, BS, JD, RN, CPHRM, President, Healthcare Risk Education and Consulting, LLC, Denver, CO
Learning Objectives:
- Recognize EMTALA as a frequently cited deficiency for hospitals.
- Describe the CMS requirements on what must be in the EMTALA sign.
- Recall physician obligations when on call – elective surgeries, office practice
- Describe the requirement that hospitals must maintain a central log.
- Discuss the hospital’s requirement to maintain a list of the specific names of physicians who are on call to evaluate emergency department patients.
- Describe a hospital’s responsibilities for MSE, diversion and helipad
EMTALA Update 2026 – Part 2
Wednesday, July 29, 2026 | Noon – 1:30 p.m.
Speaker: Laura A. Dixon, BS, JD, RN, CPHRM, President, Healthcare Risk Education and Consulting, LLC, Denver, CO
Learning Objectives:
- Describe the hospital’s requirements for stabilization and treatment
- Define an emergency medical condition – EMC
- Describe what a hospital must do in evaluating and treating a pregnant patient who presents for emergency care
- Discuss what is a transfer, the various types and when it is appropriate
- Describe recent legislative changes impacting EMTALA
Faculty
Laura A. Dixon, BS, JD, RN, CPHRM, President, Healthcare Risk Education and Consulting, LLC, Denver, CO
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.