This is a recording of a live webinar delivered on Feb. 1, 2024.

This five-part webinar series covers the entire CMS Hospital CoP manual for acute care hospitals. Each section of the manual is discussed, including those which had recent updates and still-pending interpretive guidelines.

Part 3 covers the following topics:

• Nursing Services  
• Pharmaceutical Services

Laura A. Dixon, BS, JD, RN, CPHRM


Laura A. Dixon served as the director of risk management and patient safety for the Colorado Region of Kaiser Permanente. 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, she provided patient safety and risk management consultation and training to facilities, practitioners, and staff in multiple states.

Dixon has more than 20 years of clinical experience in acute care facilities, including critical care, coronary care, peri-operative services, and pain management. Prior to joining COPIC, she served as the director, Western region, patient safety and risk management for The Doctors Company in Napa, California. In this capacity, she provided patient safety and risk management consultation to the physicians and staff for the western United States.

As a registered nurse and attorney, Dixon 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.

This speaker has no real or perceived conflicts of interest that relate to this presentation.

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

• • Describe which medications must be given timely and within one of three blocks of time.
  • Recall that medical staff should approve all order/protocols as well as sign off on orders entered into the medical record.
  • Recall that a nursing care plan must be in writing, started soon after admission, and maintained in the medical record.
  • Discuss patient safety issues with compounding pharmacies.
  • Recall that the hospital must have a safe opioid policy approved by the medical executive committee and staff must be educated on the policy.
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