This session will highlight the most pressing legal and compliance challenges facing hospitals today, with a focus on new laws and revisions emerging from the 89th Texas Legislative Session that will take or have taken effect during the interim. Speakers will emphasize high risk areas for hospitals, outlining the potential operational and regulatory consequences of non compliance and what board members need to watch closely.
Registration Pricing
Member: $75
Non-Member: $125
Registration includes unlimited connections per registered facility.
Who should watch:
Hospital and health system board members, trustees of rural and community hospitals, executive leadership teams, chief executive officers, chief operating officers, chief legal officers, compliance and risk management professionals, privacy and cybersecurity leaders, human resources and workforce leaders, health information management professionals, quality and patient safety officers, governance professionals and board liaisons, and policy makers involved in health care compliance, regulation, and organizational oversight.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify significant legal, regulatory, and compliance developments affecting Texas hospitals, including legislative, operational, privacy, cybersecurity, and healthcare delivery requirements.
- Recognize emerging compliance risks associated with new state and federal laws, regulatory guidance, and enforcement priorities impacting healthcare organizations.
- Describe key compliance considerations related to technology, artificial intelligence, health information management, workforce regulations, and patient care operations.
- Evaluate the operational and regulatory implications of noncompliance and identify strategies for monitoring high-risk areas within healthcare organizations.
- Explain the role of governing boards and executive leadership in overseeing compliance programs, regulatory readiness, and organizational risk management.
Continuing Education:
American College of Healthcare Executives
By attending the 2026 Compliance Update – What’s New in Texas Healthcare Webinar, offered by Texas Healthcare Trustees, participants may earn up to 1.5 ACHE Qualified Education Hours toward initial certification or recertification of the Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) designation.
Certified Healthcare Trustees and Leaders Education
The Texas Healthcare Trustees designates this continuing certified healthcare trustee and leader education activity for up to 1.5 contact hours. For more information about the CHTL program, please contact THT at 512-465-1015.
Speakers
Heather De La Garza-Barone, J.D., Associate General Counsel, Texas Hospital Association, Austin
Heather De La Garza-Barone joined THA in 2022 and advises the association on a variety of health law, corporate governance, and contractual legal matters. She has practiced law in Texas for the past 19 years and began practicing health law in 2016 as Associate General Counsel at DHR Health in Edinburg, TX. Prior to joining THA, Heather served as Special Counsel, Veterans Affairs at the Texas General Land Office. She served as Chair of the Health Law Section of the Austin Bar Association for 2022-2023. She is a graduate of Rice University and the University of Texas School of Law.
Nicole Lusardi, J.D., Associate General Counsel, Texas Hospital Association, Austin
Nicole has served as an Associate General Counsel for the Texas Hospital Association since August 2024. In that role she provides legal advice and counsel to THA and its affiliates on operational and governance issues, and works closely with THA’s lobbyists and policy team on several policy areas including women’s health, technology and artificial intelligence, healthcare privacy, public health, behavioral health, end-of-life, and several other areas. Prior to joining THA, Nicole had extensive experience advising healthcare providers on legal and compliance issues working in in-house positions at Mindpath Health, Fresenius Medical Care North America, Travis County Healthcare District, and The University of Texas Medical Branch. Nicole attended the University of Texas at San Antonio (B.A., Political Science) and American University, Washington School of Law in Washington, D.C.