Gaps Persist in Physicians' ADA Knowledge

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), physician practices must provide equal access to those with disabilities, must accommodate their disability-related needs, and cannot refuse patients because of a disability. Patients also cannot be required to provide their own accommodations or pay accommodation costs.

However, results of a national survey of US physicians' knowledge of their ADA obligations, published in the January issue of Health Affairs, found that more than a third knew little or nothing about these responsibilities, and a little more than 70% answered incorrectly about who determines reasonable accommodations (which should be a collaborative process between the patient and the physician).

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we interview Lisa I. Iezzoni, MD, MSc, the lead author of the paper, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, and a health policy researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital.

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