2026 IHA EMTALA Regulatory Compliance Webinar Series: Oct. 28

Date: October 28, 2026 Time: 1:00 PM

Location:

Webinar: 1-2:30 p.m.

Registration:

Health Systems Registration
IHA offers a “Health System” registration to accommodate systems enrolling multiple hospitals and offsite offices. To register as a Health System, choose the “Health System” option when registering.

Hospital Registration Fees
$195 - IHA Member Fee (per webinar)
$395 - Non-Member Fee (per webinar)

Health System Registration Fees
$395 - IHA Member Fee (per webinar)
$795 - Non-Member Fee (per webinar)

Hospital Registration
Applies to a single hospital location. All internal units and departments at that location may participate under one registration.

  • Example: Hospital A selects Hospital Registration and provides access to its own departments only. Affiliates or other facilities may not use this registration.

Health System Registration
Applies to an entire health system, including corporate offices and all affiliated hospitals. All units and departments within the registered system may participate.

  • Example: Health System B selects Health System Registration and provides access to every affiliated hospital and its corporate teams.

Register Online

Compliance with the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) is an organization-wide responsibility. Decisions involving medical screening examinations, on-call physician responsibilities, available services, and patient transfers may cross departments and involve external organizations. This three-part webinar series will translate federal EMTALA requirements and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) interpretive guidance into practical strategies hospitals can apply across the organization. 

Using recent federal enforcement actions, including from Illinois and other states, participants will examine:

  • Recent updates to CMS interpretive guidance;

  • Requirements for an adequate medical screening examination;

  • Behavioral health and obstetric emergency scenarios;

  • EMTALA signage requirements;

  • Stabilization standards and appropriate patient transfer requirements;

  • Recipient hospital responsibilities under EMTALA;

  • On-call coverage expectations and physician response obligations; and

  • Documentation requirements for high-risk EMTALA situations, including patients who leave against medical advice or without being seen.

Agenda

Part 3: Physician Involvement, QIO Roles and Risk Management
This webinar will focus on hospital and on-call physician responsibilities under EMTALA. You’ll examine on-call scheduling requirements, when an on-call physician must appear in the emergency department, and recent deficiencies and fines involving on-call physicians, including the Office of Inspector General’s role in enforcement. You’ll also review the quality improvement organization’s (QIO) role in the EMTALA survey process and documentation requirements for challenging patient situations, including patients who leave against medical advice or without being seen.

Objectives

  • Describe on-call physician rules including schedules and when the on-call physician must appear in the emergency department.

  • Describe the Office of Inspector General role and recent deficiencies and fines concerning on-call physicians.

  • Describe the quality improvement organization’s role with EMTALA.

  • Examine documentation requirements for challenging patient situations.

Who Should Attend

This series is designed for leaders and staff organization-wide:

  • Emergency department

  • CEOs, CMOs and CNOs

  • Nurses

  • Physicians

  • Quality improvement 

  • Compliance officers and legal counsel

  • Risk managers

  • Department directors

  • Safety officers

Speakers

Nancy M. Ruzicka, BS, RPh, MBA, MJ, CHC
Owner, Ruzicka Healthcare Consulting
A recognized expert, Ruzicka focuses on state and federal rules, regulations, and interpretative guidelines. She provides consultation to individual client hospitals, nursing facilities, rural health clinics, physician offices and other Medicare-certified healthcare providers through onsite mock surveys, remote consultation and interpretation of Medicare Conditions of Participation. Ruzicka also provides education on federal regulations throughout the nation to multiple state hospital associations. She has served as content expert and editor for regulatory client hospital education for Lammico, a medical malpractice insurance company.

Ruzicka previously worked as the Compliance and Integrity Officer at MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center and Director of Regulatory Compliance at UnityPoint Health, Des Moines. She has more than 20 years of experience with the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals. While working for the State of Iowa, she surveyed hospitals, critical access hospitals, psychiatric hospitals, intermediate care facilities for developmentally disabled, nursing homes and other Medicare-certified entities. Ruzicka was responsible for updating state hospital licensing regulations, which had not been updated since the early 1970s.

Register online