Navigating the ADA and Sections 504 and 1557 in Health Care
This Briefing is brought to you by AHLA’s In-House Counsel Practice Group.
- February 20, 2025
- Rachel Freyman , MultiCare Health System
- Jenna Mooney , Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
Most health care systems are aware of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), particularly as it relates to issues such as accommodations for employees or changes to the physical layout of a building. They are conversant in the interactive process, reasonable accommodations, and technical building requirements. A lesser-known consideration is what the ADA mandates of health care providers as it relates to ensuring that patients and/or their companions with disabilities obtain the same benefit of health care services as patients and/or companions without disabilities, including accessible and tailored communication and services. Even lesser known are the overlapping obligations set out in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) and Section 1557 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Section 1557). This article discusses the requirements for health care settings under Title III of the ADA and Sections 504 and 1557, common areas of potential non-compliance and challenges in obtaining compliance, and practical suggestions for improving compliance and identifying accommodations, particularly as they relate to virtual care.
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