"Whether you’re a small clinic or an established network hospital, public or private, you should be aware that turning a blind eye to ADA website compliance is a sin that is being ruthlessly pursued by the DoJ."
Source: healthcareweekly.com
“Despite forming 19% of the population, people with disabilities incur 26.7% of U.S. healthcare expenditures. Whether their disability is auditory, visual, physical, or cognitive, people with disabilities often require additional care and attention from healthcare organizations.”
Source: Bureau of Internet Accessibility
“Healthcare companies should consult with legal counsel or those experienced in ADA accessibility to help ensure accessibility issues are identified and addressed so that employees and customers alike enjoy equal access and the healthcare company avoids potential claims.”
Source: The National Law Review
Patients (and those providing care and support to them) need access to information from a variety of websites, mobile applications and kiosks -- and the information must be served in an accessible format.
Healthcare organizations that do not meet Section 1557 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) level 2.1 A/AA are vulnerable to class action and other lawsuits as well as Department of Justice enforced actions.
Want proof?
According to Healthcare Weekly, “Given that healthcare is of paramount importance to Americans with a disability, ADA non-compliance can land you in hot water, including having to pay steep fines of up to $150,000 (or more depending on the gravity of non-compliance).”
The fact is that the healthcare industry as a whole needs to fully embrace website accessibility for all. Many have. Others, not so much.
Digital Support Specialist David Roberts perhaps summed it up best in his recent article for Coffey Communications, “If you work in digital marketing for a healthcare company, then odds are you've heard the terms 'web accessibility' and '508 compliance' thrown around. But the truth is, accessibility needs to be at the top of healthcare organization's radar now and forever more.”
If you need to ensure greater website accessibility and compliance for persons with disabilities, don’t go it alone. The Bureau of Internet Accessibility has been helping healthcare organizations to achieve compliance for more than 20 years.
Get in touch with us today to get started on your journey to website accessibility and compliance success. We offer both FREE consultation services and a FREE website accessibility scan to see where your biggest online pain points currently exist. Let’s get started.
