Complying with OCR Section 1557: Discrimination, Interpreters Required Signs, and More (W4028)

Date: August 6, 2024
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Cost: $195 to NHA members (Per hospital, no charge for additional lines.)

Course Curriculum:
This webinar will discuss a law that applies to all hospitals, including Critical Access Hospitals and other health care providers such as physician offices and nursing homes. Under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, the law addresses nondiscrimination required signs and notices, interpreters, a civil rights law for health care providers, and more. It forbids discrimination based on sex, race, color, national origin, age, and disability. It builds on long-standing and familiar federal civil rights laws. This is the first law to prohibit discrimination based on sex, including gender and gender identity, in covered health programs and activities.
This program will discuss changes by the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) to comply with the laws as well as case law regarding several issues important to hospitals.
Hospitals are required to have a policy on nondiscrimination and must educate their staff. Patients must 1) be notified in a language they comprehend and 2) understand how to file a complaint if they encounter discrimination. Additionally, interpreters must be qualified, the definition of which will be explained.
This program will provide resources and information to help meet the education requirements to ensure your employees know and follow this law. A list of each state’s 15 taglines will be provided as an additional resource. Sample notices to be posted and sample grievance procedures will also be provided.

Learning Objectives:
• Recite that hospitals are required to post a sign regarding nondiscrimination.
• Describe that the hospital must have a sign with 15 taglines (17 in 4 states and DC), notifying patients of the right to an interpreter at no cost.
• Recall that the Office of Civil Rights is the main enforcer of Section 1557.
• Discuss that the hospital must have a process for patients wanting to file a grievance related to discrimination.

Speaker: 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. Before 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.

Dixon has more than 20 years of clinical experience in acute care facilities, including critical care, coronary care, peri-operative services, and pain management. Before 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 of 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.