The Justice Department soon will propose a regulation to advise publicly owned healthcare providers on meeting requirements they offer patients with disabilities accessible medical diagnostic equipment.
The pending regulation will feature guidance on how providers including hospitals that are operated by state or local governments can meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards for items such as examination tables, scales, dental chairs, X-ray scanners and mammography equipment, the Justice Department announced Tuesday.
Related: HHS proposes new protections for people with disabilities
"This groundbreaking rule marks a significant milestone in the Justice Department's efforts to remove barriers that disabled people face when accessing medical care," Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Kristen Clarke said in a news release.
Advocates for people with disabilities have been pushing for accessible medical equipment for years and welcomed the Justice Department action.
"This is so badly needed," said Claire Stanley, a public policy analyst for the National Disability Rights Network. "The greater disability advocacy community has heard so many horror stories about just how inaccessible medical diagnostic equipment is."
For example, patients who lack the use of limbs struggle to mount standard exam tables and patients who have difficulty standing may not be able to undergo screening from mammography machines that are too tall for them, Stanley said.
The Justice Department's rulemaking aligns with other recent federal policy announcements regarding people with disabilities in healthcare settings.
In September, the Health and Human Services Department issued a proposed rule that would require providers participating in HHS programs such as Medicare to possess accessible medical equipment, design facilities to accommodate patients and offer communications assistance such as interpreters and Braille materials. Two months before that, HHS proposed a regulation to strengthen nondiscrimination rules covering various groups, including people with disabilities.
