ADA Compliance Professionals
    Healthcare & Life Sciences

    Eliminate accessibility barriers across patient-facing digital systems

    VPAT documentation, WCAG audits, and remediation for patient portals, telehealth platforms, EHR systems, medical forms, and billing interfaces. Accessibility failures restrict access to care and create regulatory exposure.

    Trusted by teams across regulated and public-sector environments

    The Challenge

    Why healthcare & life sciences can't ignore digital accessibility

    Skyrocketing Lawsuit Volume

    Digital accessibility lawsuits rise over 30% year-over-year, and healthcare is one of the most targeted industries. Healthcare facilities are 'places of public accommodation' under ADA Title III — making them prime litigation targets.

    Section 1557 Enforcement

    Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act requires healthcare organizations to make ICT accessible. HHS enforcement is increasing, with penalties that can include loss of federal funding.

    Patient Exclusion

    An estimated 48 million Americans — 19% of the population — have a disability. As Baby Boomers age, they're acquiring new disabilities, expanding the patient population that needs accessible portals and platforms.

    Procurement Gatekeeping

    Hospital systems and integrated delivery networks require VPATs before purchasing health IT. Vendors without procurement-ready documentation are excluded from RFPs entirely.

    Regulations & Standards

    Which accessibility standards apply to healthcare & life sciences

    Standard

    Applies

    Section 1557 (ACA)

    Requires healthcare organizations to make ICT — websites, apps, software — accessible to people with disabilities

    ADA Title III

    Healthcare providers are 'places of public accommodation' and must ensure accessible digital services

    Section 508

    Applies to health IT procured by federal agencies or federally funded institutions

    Section 504

    Prohibits disability discrimination in federally-funded healthcare programs

    WCAG 2.2 AA

    Referenced standard for web-based health platforms and patient portals

    HIPAA

    While separate from accessibility, both requirements apply to healthcare technology simultaneously

    Common Issues

    Accessibility barriers we frequently find

    Patient Portal Barriers

    Health portals where appointment scheduling, test results, and messaging features aren't keyboard or screen reader accessible.

    Telehealth Video Interfaces

    Video consultation platforms lacking captions, keyboard controls, and screen reader compatibility.

    Medical Form Accessibility

    Medical intake forms, consent documents, and registration workflows published as inaccessible PDFs or using non-accessible form controls.

    Mobile Health Apps

    Native apps for patient engagement that lack proper accessibility labels, touch target sizing, and navigation.

    EHR System Interfaces

    Electronic Health Record interfaces with complex data grids and workflows that trap keyboard focus or lack ARIA landmarks.

    Billing & Payment Systems

    Payment portals and billing dashboards that rely on visual-only indicators or fail to announce transaction status to assistive technology.

    Patient Health Dashboards

    Health data visualizations that convey information only through charts and color coding without text alternatives.

    Authentication & Security

    CAPTCHA, multi-factor authentication, and security workflows that exclude users relying on assistive technology.

    Our Services

    How we help healthcare & life sciences

    Healthcare Platform Audit

    WCAG 2.2 AA manual and automated testing of patient portals, telehealth interfaces, EHR systems, and billing platforms.

    VPAT 2.4 International Edition

    Procurement-ready VPATs for health IT vendors selling into hospital systems, integrated delivery networks, and federal healthcare agencies.

    Remediation Support

    Developer-ready guidance for making complex healthcare interfaces accessible, with specific code patterns and ARIA techniques.

    Training & Capacity Building

    Training for clinical IT teams, developers, and content creators on building accessible healthcare experiences.

    Success Story

    Health IT Vendor Passes Hospital System Procurement

    Challenge

    A health IT vendor's patient portal product was rejected by a major hospital system's procurement team due to accessibility deficiencies in scheduling, messaging, and test result workflows.

    Solution

    ADACP conducted a full platform audit covering all patient-facing workflows, produced an evidence-backed VPAT, and provided remediation guidance for 89 critical findings.

    Outcome

    The vendor passed procurement review and secured a multi-year licensing agreement with a top-20 US hospital system.

    32

    Patient workflows tested

    89

    Issues documented

    6 weeks

    Time to procurement-ready

    $3.2M

    Contract value

    Compliance Checklist

    Accessibility checklist for healthcare & life sciences

    Patient portal features (scheduling, messaging, results) are fully accessible

    Telehealth video interface supports keyboard controls and captions

    Medical forms and consent documents meet PDF accessibility standards

    Mobile health apps meet platform accessibility guidelines

    EHR interfaces support keyboard navigation and screen readers

    Billing and payment systems announce status changes to assistive technology

    Health data visualizations include text-based alternatives

    Authentication is accessible without relying on visual-only challenges

    Error messages are clearly associated with relevant form fields

    Content supports text resizing without loss of functionality

    VPAT is current and covers all patient-facing features

    How We Work

    Our process for healthcare & life sciences

    01

    Workflow Mapping

    We map critical patient workflows, identify testable features, and align scope to procurement and compliance requirements.

    02

    Comprehensive Audit

    Manual and automated testing of all patient-facing flows against WCAG 2.2 AA, documenting findings with severity and remediation priority.

    03

    VPAT Production

    Evidence-backed VPAT covering all applicable criteria, formatted for hospital system and healthcare procurement review.

    04

    Remediation Guidance

    Developer-ready recommendations with specific code patterns, ARIA techniques, and healthcare-specific interaction models.

    05

    Verification & Maintenance

    Re-testing after fixes, VPAT updates, and ongoing support to maintain compliance as the platform evolves.

    Why ADACP

    Why choose ADACP for healthcare & life sciences

    Health IT Specialization

    We've audited patient portals, EHR systems, telehealth platforms, and medical device interfaces. We understand the unique complexity of healthcare digital environments.

    Section 1557 Expertise

    We help healthcare organizations understand and meet Section 1557 requirements alongside ADA and Section 508, ensuring comprehensive compliance coverage.

    Procurement-Ready Documentation

    Our VPATs are formatted and detailed to satisfy hospital system IT reviews, integrated delivery network requirements, and federal healthcare procurement.

    Smart Business, Ethical Business

    Accessible healthcare websites boost ROI — search engines reward accessibility with better placement, and the 48M+ disability community represents massive market expansion. Happy patients are returning patients.

    FAQ

    Frequently asked questions

    Ready to make your healthcare platform procurement-ready?

    Schedule a consultation to scope your health IT accessibility engagement. We'll respond within one business day.