It doesn’t matter whether you built the medical clinic business yourself or you’ve recently acquired one. You need to focus on accessibility! If your healthcare facility is difficult for those with disabilities or limited movement to access and use? Then you could find yourself in trouble with local regulatory representatives. And if that doesn’t happen, then you will, at the very least, be losing a lot of business!
Here are a few quick tips you need to take to heart if you want to make sure your facility is accessible to all.
Telemedicine
Telemedicine allows you to helps patients without them ever having to step foot in your clinic! For some, this is a perfect solution to accessibility problems for certain patients. However, you have to remember that not everyone will be comfortable using this technology to see a doctor. Nor can everyone afford computers and Internet access. You should definitely look into integrating telemedicine. It can be as simple as using a webcam-enabled messaging service in some simple appointments. But don’t rely on it completely.
Specialists
You should have professionals at your facility who have a lot of experience in dealing with disabled patients. If no-one at your facility has experience in this field, then you could find yourself having some problems! Dealing with these patients takes a certain sensitivity and knowledge of their particular needs. Get specialists in your clinic, or invest in more training.
Restrooms
If nothing else, public buildings all tend to have restrooms for the disabled. So it’s going to be pretty embarrassing for your business if you don’t have the correct setup at your facility! Do not think you can get away with regular restrooms. If someone injures themselves trying to use one, you may have to face expensive legal action. You can look into getting these facilities perfected by companies like Coverite.
Parking
People who have a hard time moving around are hardly going to walk all the way to your clinic! They’re probably going to drive there, at at least get a lift. So you need to ensure that the parking facility at your clinic is appropriately laid out. You also need to consider the surface. It should be slanted at all – it should be completely level to assure ease of movement. And yes, there should be disabled spaces right next to the entrance. But, really, there shouldn’t be any parking spaces that are more than a minute or so from the entrance. Speaking of entrances.
Entrances
Perhaps it would have made more sense to start with the entrance? Oh well, never mind. The most vital part of an accessible clinic is, of course, the entrance. If you fail here, then the patient won’t even be able to access your building. And unless you plan on offering appointments in the car park, you’d better make sure your entrance is fit for purpose. Yes, it’s not going to be the cheapest thing in the world to do. But ensuring that there is equity of access for your medical business is essential.
