Medical Discrimination a Way of Life for People with Disabilities
A patient makes an appointment with a new doctor. Prior to his visit, he calls the office to confirm his appointment and mentions to the office staff that he uses a wheelchair. Suddenly, he’s told that the doctor is on vacation and that he’d receive a call to reschedule. That call never came. This sort of ghosting is a regular event for patients with disabilities.
According to a study published in Health Affairs, as of 2016, more than 61 million Americans have disabilities. Legislation, including the Americans with Disabilities Act and the ADA Amendments Act, has clearly made access to health care services a mandate. Nevertheless, this group encounters numerous barriers to quality care.
The study’s goal was to probe physicians’ attitudes regarding caring for people with disabilities. Twenty-two physicians participated in two-hour video conferences. Using first names or nicknames, these physicians answered questions from the moderator. Analysis of their responses identified several obstacles that exist for people with disabilities.
Inadequate Accommodations
While a building may meet the federal accessibility standards, a physician’s office often lack equipment that meets the needs of a person with disabilities. For instance, according to Gina Kolata’s article in The New York Times, something as basic as getting weighed is often not possible because office scales cannot accommodate wheelchairs. As a result, some doctors “told patients to go to a supermarket, a grain elevator, a cattle processing plant or a zoo to be weighted.” Along these lines, people in wheelchairs often cannot physically position themselves on an exam table.
In addition to physical obstacles, communication barriers also exist. Few physicians’ offices have sign language interpreters available, so in the case of a hearing-impaired or deaf patient, the staff would need to hire someone. This arrangement is an added expense for the office.
Systemic barriers make it difficult for physicians to provide appropriate care for people with disabilities. A schedule that only allows 15 minutes for an appointment is insufficient, leading to frustration for all parties involved.
Many doctors admitted that they are not comfortable treating people with disabilities. They don’t feel like they have “sufficient knowledge, experience, and skills” to care for these patients and worry about causing undue harm.
Finally, the study found that doctors did, indeed, possess certain biases about people with disabilities. An overall sense that these patients are more difficult and more time-consuming that has led doctors “to openly admit that they treat patients with disabilities differently” even though they know that they shouldn’t be. This bias manifests in doctors telling patients with disabilities that they cannot treat them or even refusing them outright.
No Easy Fixes
Given the findings of the study, it is clear that our system needs some changes in order to better serve this population. There’s no quick way to turn things around for people with disabilities, and it’s going to take some heavy lifting to remove the discriminatory practices that are prevalent.
- Understand and admit that barriers exist.
- Address these barriers by outfitting healthcare providers with the equipment and time necessary to provide adequate care.
- Introduce system level interventions that dismantle these barriers. One such idea is to include disabilities in the health care data so that healthcare providers can track disparities in care.
- Improve medical education and training so that physicians can grow their skills, knowledge, and comfort level in treating patients with disabilities.
If you or someone you love feel that you have been discriminated against due to a disability, please contact our experienced Cleveland malpractice lawyers to discuss your options for legal recourse and for obtaining the compensation you deserve. To schedule your free consultation, call 216-287-0900 or contact us online today.