Inclusive Virtual Health Services for People With Disabilities

Home care solutions eliminate barriers and ensure full participation of people of all abilities

More than 60 million people in the U.S. live with disabilities, which is one in every four Americans. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), many people with functional disabilities face challenges to accessing high-quality healthcare for a variety of reasons, like mobility, cognition, hearing, vision, and the ability to practice daily self-care.

Virtual health services are enormously beneficial for people with disabilities due to the ease of access and overall reduced healthcare barriers. With the rise in telehealth use during the COVID-19 pandemic, people of all abilities are discovering it’s faster and easier than ever to connect with their healthcare providers through home care solutions.

A Need for Virtual Health Access in the Disability Community

People who have disabilities often face health issues that require frequent healthcare access including: 

• Obesity
• Heart disease
• Diabetes
• Smoking-related conditions

On top of this, adults with disabilities are less likely than others to have a primary care provider or seek routine annual healthcare evaluations. This leads to wide gaps in care that set the stage for poor health outcomes.

• The CDC estimates that one in three adults with disabilities is currently experiencing an unmet healthcare need at any given time.
• The National Institutes of Health have found that adults with disabilities are four times more likely to report overall fair to poor health compared to the general population.

Improving Virtual Health to Ensure Equal Access to Care

Whether in-person or via a telemedicine appointment, access to necessary care is fundamental to maintaining a healthy population. Virtual care solutions provide greater access to persons with a disability who might otherwise face additional barriers to personal health services.

In fact, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) highlights telehealth as a key method for ensuring equal access to healthcare under federal disability discrimination laws like the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The HHS recommends that healthcare providers use the following best practices for providing legally compliant healthcare for people with disabilities:

• Before every visit, send a message explaining what to expect.
• Offer an option for longer virtual visit appointment time slots for those who may struggle with the pace of virtual care.
• Ensure all virtual and online tools are fully accessible with features like screen readers, live captions, and automatic transcription.
• Provide advanced in-appointment communication options like interpreters and supportive communication aids for those with functional disabilities or low digital literacy.
• Choose virtual health platform providers with built-in security and privacy features for secure patient-provider interactions.

These best practices not only improve healthcare access for those with disabilities, but could save their lives. Virtual home care solutions have a proven track record of keeping people with disabilities out of the hospital for preventable problems.

A New York-based telehealth provider found decreased emergency room trips among patients with intellectual disabilities. The virtual healthcare provider’s innovative pilot program used interventions like in-home pulse oximeters, stethoscopes, and blood pressure monitors to share data with healthcare providers, offer preventive care, and prevent unnecessary ER visits.

Overcoming Common Barriers and Challenges

The continued need for inclusive telehealth services is highlighting certain persistent challenges in supporting those with functional disabilities. Virtual health programs must be capable of overcoming known challenges that come along with providing effective and inclusive home care solutions.

• Overcoming operational challenges that limit inclusive options, like using old-fashioned processes and having out-of-date virtual health platforms
• Addressing the needs of people with disabilities during COVID-19, then maintaining these gains into the next decade
• Staying compliant with the vast array of ever-changing regulatory/legal issues

Virtual health services help major healthcare providers address and overcome challenges to better serve and improve population health. In addition, telehealth tools individualize patient care and help people adhere to medical guidance.

A study from the National Institutes of Health systematically reviewed more than 2,000 telehealth studies to evaluate patient satisfaction. Compared to previous experiences, a majority of 61% reported greater satisfaction with ease of use, low cost, decreased travel hassle, and overall better healthcare communication.

A New Frontier in Virtual Health Service for Everyone

When it comes to serving people with disabilities, AMC Health is at the forefront of a revolution in superior virtual health solutions. We offer a full suite of home care options that empower people with disabilities and maximize healthcare resource management. 

Virtual health services are enormously beneficial for people with disabilities due to the ease of access and overall reduced healthcare barriers. With the rise in telehealth use during the COVID-19 pandemic, people of all abilities are discovering it’s faster and easier than ever to connect with their healthcare providers through home care solutions.

Schedule a Demo