Your medical practice, no matter its specialty, should strive to be a site
for top-notch care. In order to serve your patients well, you need to make
your office safe, clean and physically accessible for all. While
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target="_blank">
medical general liability insurance
is a necessary financial safeguard against claims related to bodily injury,
personal injury and property damage on your premises, preventing incidents
up front reduces the risk you’ll have to file a claim.
Here are four tips for creating a medical office environment conducive to
serving patients.
Closely Follow All ADA Requirements
First thing’s first: A medical office is only as useful as it is
accessible. This starts with adhering to all requirements laid out by the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. Private clinics are covered
under Title III of the ADA, while public organizations fall under the
jurisdiction of Title II.
According to the ADA
, medical providers must provide individuals with disabilities:
● “full and equal access to their health care services and facilities,” and
● “reasonable modifications to policies, practices and procedures when
necessary to make health care services fully available to individuals with
disabilities.”
This includes everything from entryways (including accessible doors) to
exam room features. People with disabilities may miss out on receiving
regular, preventative care over time simply because many medical practices
are ill-equipped to serve those with mobility limitations.
NPR
outlines one case
where a woman received a late diagnosis of thyroid cancer because getting
from her wheelchair up onto the exam table proved to be a challenge;
several times, the staff members lifting her twisted or dropped her. She
said it eventually became difficult to be proactive with her health.
Making sure your waiting and exam rooms have the necessary modifications to
accommodate patients will help them get the care they need with lessened
risk of
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injury or humiliation
.
Train Your Staff on Accommodating Patients
Let’s say you’ve installed a patient lift in your first exam room meant to
assist individuals with disabilities in getting onto the exam table. This
means you’ll need to train your staff members on how to operate said
machinery.
In general, it’s extremely important to provide your staff with the
knowledge and tools they need to help patients.
Monitor the Waiting Room (and Beyond) Regularly
How does your waiting room look? It’s a good idea to
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target="_blank">
assign regular checkups
by staff members to ensure the space is clean, sanitary, organized and free
of tripping hazards. Not only does a messy waiting room reflect poorly on
your practice, but it also heightens the risk for patients to sustain
injury or illness when visiting your office.
The same principle goes for exam rooms, restrooms, break rooms and more.
The more sanitized and decluttered, the less risk.
Offer Accessible Restrooms
Ensuring your practice offers at least one
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target="_blank">
handicap-accessible restroom
is another aspect of adhering to ADA guidelines and offering patients a
positive experience whenever they visit. You should also institute a
regular cleaning and maintenance schedule for all restrooms on your
premises.
Safety and accessibility are two of the cornerstones of running a modern
medical practice. So is having medical general liability insurance coverage
as a backup. Protect your
practice today with an affordable policy through CoverHound!
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