ADA Accommodations: Providing Equal Access for Those with Disabilities
Per CMS (42 CFR 438.206a), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, these standards require healthcare providers to provide individuals with disabilities full and equal access to their healthcare services and facilities.
Select Health includes specific ADA accommodations offered by provider locations in our Provider Directory. We gather this information from quarterly demographic attestations so that all our members can better find the providers whose practice location best meets their specific needs.
When you are completing the quarterly attestations, please update the specific ADA accommodations offered for those with disabilities along with clinic location to specify whether each location meets the ADA standards.
Click through the following list of accommodations addressed in the quarterly attestation to see key definitions of what qualifies for each:
An accessible exam table or chair that can be lowered to the height of a wheelchair. It should have rails, straps, cushions, or other parts that support a patient during transfer and while they're on the table. An accessible scale should be large enough to fit a wheelchair and have a weight capacity high enough to include the wheelchair.
All permanent rooms and spaces should have signs that are accessible for people who are blind or have low vision. Accessible signs have visual and/or tactile letters, are positioned at an accessible height and location, and meet all the ADA requirements.
An accessible interior building has clear floor paths through all the areas that a patient would need to access. To make sure the paths are accessible, there may be handrails, ramps, walks, elevators, platform lifts, stairways, landings, and entries wide enough for wheelchairs, as needed.
An accessible exterior building has a clear path to enter and exit the building. Parking spaces and access aisles should be set up so that parked cars and vans won't block accessible routes. To make sure the path is accessible, there may be handrails, ramps, walks, sidewalks, and parking access aisles as needed.
Accessible bathrooms have enough turning space for a person using a wheelchair to maneuver into position and have seats and grab bars at the right height and position. Convenience fixtures like baby changing tables should also be accessible to people with disabilities.
An accessible exam room allows patients with mobility disabilities, including those using wheelchairs, to get the care they need. There should be an accessible route to the exam room and enough clear floor space inside the room for side transfers and use of lift equipment. The room should have accessible hardware and examination equipment too.
Most radiologic exams, such as x-rays and CT scans, require the patient to lie still on a flat surface. To transfer a patient in a wheelchair onto the exam surface, a provider may use adjustable-height equipment, patient lifts, or gurneys and stretchers. If a patient needs help keeping still, medical staff can support them with pillows or wedges.
Providers can use a lift to safely transfer a patient from a wheelchair to the exam table. Medical staff can position a sling under the patient while they’re sitting in the wheelchair, attach the sling to the lift, and use the lift to lower the patient onto the exam table. Once the patient is secure, staff can detach the sling from the lift.
An accessible gurney (a table on wheels) or stretcher can be lowered to the height of the patient's wheelchair seat and raised to transfer the patient safely onto an exam table or other surface.
Accessible parking includes accessible spaces, access aisles, and at least one accessible route to the building entrance, all clearly marked. In parking facilities where the accessible route crosses traffic lanes, the street crossings should be marked as well.
Learn more:
- Access Board - Standards for Accessible Medical Diagnostic Equipment
- Access Board – Health Care
- ADA National Network - Accessible Medical Diagnostic Equipment
- Department of Justice - Access to Medical Care for Individuals With Mobility Disabilities
- The Barrier Free Healthcare Initiative
Questions? Contact your Provider Development representative.