2026 CMS Hospital Restraint and Seclusion




Navigating the Most Problematic CMS Standards 
Restraint and seclusion is an area in which hospitals are commonly cited for being out of compliance. This program will discuss the most problematic standards in the CMS Conditions of Participation (CoPs) restraint section.

Any physician or provider who orders restraint must be trained on the hospital’s policy. CMS requires hospital staff to be educated annually on restraint and seclusion interpretive guidelines. CMS also requires restraint training to be ongoing, meaning it should be provided at orientation, as well as through a recurring training program.

CMS has 50 pages of interpretive guidelines on restraint and seclusion for hospitals. Every hospital that accepts Medicare patients must comply with the interpretive guidelines even if the hospital is accredited by TJC, HFAP, CIHQ, or DNV Healthcare.
 
Objectives
  • Recall that CMS requires all physicians and others who order restraints to be educated on the hospital policy.
  • Describe that CMS has restraint education requirements for staff.
  • Discuss that CMS requires specific items to document in the medical record for the one hour face-to-face evaluation on patients who are violent and/or self-destructive.
  • Define the CMS restraint requirement of what a hospital must document in the internal log if a patient dies within 24 hours with two soft wrist restraints on.

Who Should Attend
Chief Medical Officer, Chief Nursing Officer, Compliance Officer, Emergency Department Personnel, Joint Commission Coordinator, Medical Records, Quality Improvement personnel, Risk Manager, Legal Counsel.

Faculty
Laura A. Dixon, BS, JD, RN, CPHRM has 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 of 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. 

Laura 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 western region Director of 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, 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.
This speaker has no real or perceived conflicts of interest that relate to this presentation.

Registration Fee
$175 $150 for AHA Member Hospital Employees
AHA educational events are developed and provided for member hospitals and their employees. 
Not sure if your hospital is a member? CLICK HERE for a list of member hospitals.


How to Register
Employees of AHA member hospitals are able to log into the AHA website and register online. If you have never logged into the AHA website, please select "forgot password?" under the sign in box to set up a password for your email address that AHA has on file with your record.

Need help logging in? Please contact Laura Whitaker at (501) 224-7878 or lwhitaker@arkhospitals.org.

If you are not an employee of an AHA member hospital and would like to inquire about attendance, please contact Lyndsey Dumas, VP of Education, by email (ldumas@arkhospitals.org). Additional fees may apply if attendance is approved.


When: 05/12/2026, 09:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Where: WEBINAR

2026 CMS Hospital Restraint and Seclusion

2026 CMS Hospital Restraint and Seclusion



Navigating the Most Problematic CMS Standards 
Restraint and seclusion is an area in which hospitals are commonly cited for being out of compliance. This program will discuss the most problematic standards in the CMS Conditions of Participation (CoPs) restraint section.

Any physician or provider who orders restraint must be trained on the hospital’s policy. CMS requires hospital staff to be educated annually on restraint and seclusion interpretive guidelines. CMS also requires restraint training to be ongoing, meaning it should be provided at orientation, as well as through a recurring training program.

CMS has 50 pages of interpretive guidelines on restraint and seclusion for hospitals. Every hospital that accepts Medicare patients must comply with the interpretive guidelines even if the hospital is accredited by TJC, HFAP, CIHQ, or DNV Healthcare.
 
Objectives
  • Recall that CMS requires all physicians and others who order restraints to be educated on the hospital policy.
  • Describe that CMS has restraint education requirements for staff.
  • Discuss that CMS requires specific items to document in the medical record for the one hour face-to-face evaluation on patients who are violent and/or self-destructive.
  • Define the CMS restraint requirement of what a hospital must document in the internal log if a patient dies within 24 hours with two soft wrist restraints on.

Who Should Attend
Chief Medical Officer, Chief Nursing Officer, Compliance Officer, Emergency Department Personnel, Joint Commission Coordinator, Medical Records, Quality Improvement personnel, Risk Manager, Legal Counsel.

Faculty
Laura A. Dixon, BS, JD, RN, CPHRM has 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 of 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. 

Laura 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 western region Director of 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, 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.
This speaker has no real or perceived conflicts of interest that relate to this presentation.

Registration Fee
$175 $150 for AHA Member Hospital Employees
AHA educational events are developed and provided for member hospitals and their employees. 
Not sure if your hospital is a member? CLICK HERE for a list of member hospitals.


How to Register
Employees of AHA member hospitals are able to log into the AHA website and register online. If you have never logged into the AHA website, please select "forgot password?" under the sign in box to set up a password for your email address that AHA has on file with your record.

Need help logging in? Please contact Laura Whitaker at (501) 224-7878 or lwhitaker@arkhospitals.org.

If you are not an employee of an AHA member hospital and would like to inquire about attendance, please contact Lyndsey Dumas, VP of Education, by email (ldumas@arkhospitals.org). Additional fees may apply if attendance is approved.
When
5/12/2026 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Where
WEBINAR