The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has made it mandatory for public medical entities to maintain medical equipment which can accommodate disabled individuals in an attempt to ensure people are not refused care because of their condition.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that people with disabilities are not denied benefits of services run by state or local government entities. MDE includes equipment such as dental chairs, weight scales, mammography machines, and medical examination tables. “Without accessible MDE, individuals with disabilities may not be afforded an equal opportunity to receive medical care, including routine examinations, which could have serious implications for their health,” the final rule states.
“A lack of accessible MDE may also undermine the quality of care that individuals with disabilities receive, delay the provision of medical care, exacerbate existing medical conditions, and increase the likelihood of developing secondary medical conditions.” The final rule stated that people with disabilities have had to avoid taking Pap smears—a screening tool for cervical cancer—because they could not be safely transferred from wheelchairs onto examination tables. Breast cancer screening rates among disabled individuals have been low due to inaccessible mammography machines, it said.
The new rule establishes certain minimum technical criteria that MDEs used in physicians’ offices, clinics, emergency rooms, hospitals, and other.