Question

Question One

As a hygienist in private practice, you are in-between patients, and you happen to answer the office telephone. The person calling is a new patient and the first question is “is your office wheelchair accessible? You do not know how to respond because to date it isn’t. You tell the patient “it isn’t at this time” and the patient hangs up the phone. You are concerned about the patient and the fact that your office is NOT accessible for patients with disabilities. You decide that you want to be an advocate for patients with a disability, so you set up a meeting with the dentist to discuss accessibility and the rights of the disabled.

The dental office includes one dentist, a receptionist, a dental assistant, and 4 part-time dental hygienists. It is a free-standing building with four brick steps at the entrance. There is no accessible parking even though there is ample parking in front of the office.

Question:

include:

Your feelings (discuss)about telling the patient, on the phone, that your office could not accommodate them. Their right’s and the office policy.

Prepare what you are going to discuss with the doctor including the law, and any tax incentives available for becoming compliant, what constitutes compliance and the importance of treating patients with disabilities. Remember you are a strong advocate for the disabled so you need to have a compelling argument for why the office needs to make these costly changes.

In conclusion, discuss what you will do if the dentist decides to make the necessary changes or if he chooses not to make the changes.

Answer 1

Wheelchair accessibility is mandatory in the public buildings is supported by section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the American with Disabilities Act (ADA). A generous hygienist would feel dejected after such an incident that he could not help the patient as Hippocrates oath applies to hygienists and dentists as well. According to ADA, people with disabilities must be provided full and equal access to the services and facilities of healthcare. Hence, wheelchair accessibility becomes a must facility on the hospital premises. Further, facilities for disabled people also show the sincerity and generosity of the hospital for the disabled people as disabled people might not necessarily be the patient but could come as a relative of the patient. In case, the dentist approves the complaint, it would be great as the hospital would be able to serve people with disabilities. The cost of making the premises disable person-friendly is not much as one side of stairs is to be modified for the wheelchair. In case the dentist refuses to bring the changes, the negotiation could be done on the reason of refusal as the arrangement for wheelchair accessibility is mandatory and easily done.