On July 29, 2010, the United States Access Board will hold a public meeting about accessibility standards to be developed for diagnostic medical equipment. This meeting marks the beginning of a rule making process on these issues mandated by the federal health care bill passed in March, 2010.
On this page you can read the press release announcing the meeting, at which Lainey Feingold will be a panelist. Accessible medical equipment is crucial to the health and safety of people with disabilities. The Board’s rulemaking process should allow for public input on a wide range of issues such as the need for mammography equipment and dental chairs that can be accessed by wheelchair users, and the need for blood glucose meters and similar devices that can provide information in a format blind people can access.
The Access Board has created the Medical Diagnostic Equipment Web Page to provide up-to-date information about the proposed rulemaking.
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Simplified Summary of this Document
Access Board Press Release about Medical Equipment Meeting
Board to Hold Forum on Access to Medical Diagnostic Equipment
Washington, D.C. (June 23, 2010)– On July 29 the Board will hold a public meeting on new accessibility standards to be developed for medical diagnostic equipment. The event will allow interested parties and members of the public to provide input on the approach to this rulemaking. The standards will cover access to examination tables and chairs, weight scales, radiological equipment, mammography equipment, and other types of medical diagnostic equipment. The health care bill signed into law in March, the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act”, calls upon the Board to issue these standards in two years in consultation with the Food and Drug Administration.
The purpose of the meeting is to gather information from stakeholders, including consumers, equipment manufacturers, the health care industry, government agencies, and others with an interest in the new standards. The full-day meeting will begin with presentations by the Board on the rulemaking process, the regulatory steps involved, and a proposed timetable for completing the standards. The agenda will include panel discussions on various topics and opportunities for public comment. Subjects to be discussed and explored include the range of equipment to be addressed, access barriers to equipment, design challenges, key issues, reference standards, and other topics encompassed by this rulemaking.
The meeting is scheduled to run from 9:00 to 5:00 and will take place at the Board’s new meeting space at 1331 F Street, N.W., Suite 800, Washington, D.C. For more information on the hearing or this rulemaking, visit the medical diagnostic equipment homepage or contact David Baquis at baquis@access-board.gov, 202-272-0013 (v), or 202-272-0082 (TTY).
Resources
- Official Notice of the July 29, 2010 Public Information Meeting about Medical Diagnostic Equipment
- U.S. Department of Justice recently-issued technical guidance on Access to Medical Care for Individuals with Mobility Disabilities.
- March, 2010 press release announcing the rulemaking process. This release includes an excerpt from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the federal health care bill) requiring the Access Board to promulgate standards.
- The Barrier Free Healthcare Initiative is a joint effort of advocates, non-profit organizations, legal service providers, and lawyers whose goal is to eliminate the physical and programmatic barriers that people with disabilities face in obtaining healthcare. Policy information as well as links to settlement agreements with several hospitals around the country on the issue of accessibility is available on the BFHI website.