Meeting the Challenges of the DOJ's ADA Barrier-Free Health Care Initiative

The DOJ and U.

S. Attorney's Offices recently announced an aggressive nationwide enforcement campaign under the Americans With Disabilities Act against health care providers of every kind. Dubbed the "Barrier-Free Health Care Initiative," health care providers are, of course, public accommodations under Title III of the ADA and thus required to assure that individuals with disabilities have full access to all of the services and facilities of health care providers - including hospitals, HMO's and doctor's offices, diagnostic and treatment centers, physical therapy and rehabilitation centers and even E-Health providers - irrespective of their disability. The DOJ Initiative is clearly focused on communications with deaf and hard of hearing patients and their companions and physical access to buildings, parking, exam rooms and equipment for individuals with other disabilities. A key target of recent litigation by advocacy groups for the disabled and DOJ proposed rulemaking is websites and scheduling systems and internet based services. Failure to make facilities and services (including websites) available to individuals with disabilities has resulted in litigation with resolutions often costing seven figures. This OnDemand Webinar will address the DOJ's Barrier-Free Health Care Initiative, cutting-edge issues including web-based information and services and how to avoid being an enforcement target and how health care providers can cost effectively comply with ADA and similar state law obligations in this rapidly evolving area. Join us for 90 minutes of inoculation against ADA claims with a question and answer session to address your questions.