Accessible Healthcare Documents and Why They Matter
Published on“Please fill out this paperwork and someone will call your name soon.” The standard phrase said when checking in for a doctor’s appointment. This is part of everyone’s medical routine now. Walking to the waiting room, clipboard in hand, ready to fill out the paperwork. People typically don’t give a second thought to the form when they can read and complete it with ease, or the safety of their personal information. That’s expected.
In fact, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulate privacy to ensure that. But what if the patient can’t read the form due to blindness or visual impairment? Should someone read their information aloud to them so they know what the document says? How can healthcare industries provide an accessible document to those who need it?
Accessibility strategies to improve patient experience
To be clear, reading a patient’s document out loud is not a substitute for providing accessible documents. Ask our co-founder, Lou Fioritto, who shared his personal experience with inaccessibility in healthcare. Upon requesting a healthcare form to be provided in braille, the response he received was that his wife could read the documents to him. Lou explains that he felt like a child, unable to access personal medical forms. All because the healthcare facility wasn’t prepared. It doesn’t seem fair, does it?
Discover more about our co-founder’s experience: I Can Sign My Own Name! Our CEO’s Frustrations With Healthcare’s Lack of Accessibility
Unfortunately, Lou’s story isn’t uncommon. Healthcare companies can do better and put an end to these recurring experiences. Here’s how:
- Have a designated person on staff who ensures patients receive information in a format they can read. It’s crucial that everyone, including employees and visitors, knows about this specific role in the company.
- Train your staff on how to greet, assist, and communicate with patients who are blind. A knowledgeable staff is crucial to an improved and HIPAA-compliant experience.
- Remember that the patient should have the final say regarding their needs.
These strategies create an environment where every patient feels heard, understood, and empowered.
Healthcare industry’s legal and ethical duty
Patients entrust healthcare industries with their most sensitive and personal information.
This emphasizes the need to maintain high privacy standards. The effort goes beyond data protection though. Following specific guidelines allows every patient to access their medical information. What guidelines?
- Section 508 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
- Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act
- Americans with Disabilities (ADA)
Even though these guidelines set the standard, patients still receive their healthcare forms in an inaccessible format. Thankfully, regulations receive updates to relate to current issues and better help those who need it. For instance, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) updated a regulation for 2024. Patients complained about needing to request an accessible format every time they received a new document.
For example, a patient may request a braille format of their medical bill after receiving a standard print version in the mail. The new format is sent, but instead of the patient receiving their documents in braille every time, they have to keep making a new request. The process takes time and the patient risks missing payments and other important information.
With the new ruling, a patient only has to request an accessible format once. The healthcare plan must then continue providing materials in the requested format until the patient either leaves the plan or makes a new request. This ruling aids in reducing obstacles when a patient requires crucial information.
Accessible Healthcare documents
Now, you may be wondering, “What types of health documents need to be accessible?” The short answer is, “All of them.” But, here are the specifics:
- Statements and Billing
- Patient Forms
- Marketing materials like Summary of Benefits or Annual Notice of Change
Did you know…? Section 508 applies to online communication. Unlock more information on Section 508 in our blog post, 508 Compliance: Who Needs to be Compliant?
Why it matters
Offering accessible healthcare documents empowers patients with visual disabilities. It promotes independence by allowing patients to take charge of their healthcare path. This commitment sends a clear message to all patients and customers: “Everyone matters.”
Originally published July 27, 2017
Categorized in: Accessibility, Health and Wellness
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