Comply by May 11 with final rule on digital accessibility

Regulation applies to dental practices that receive federal financial assistance

Large dental practices that receive federal financial assistance have until May 11 to ensure their websites and other digital tools are accessible to people with disabilities in order to comply with an updated federal regulation.

In May 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights published a final rule — Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance — that updates, clarifies and strengthens Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, including a covered entity’s obligations related to digital accessibility.

The act prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance and provides protections for people with disabilities in federally funded health and human services programs. The rule clarifies that web content, mobile apps and medical kiosks must be accessible to people with disabilities and meet defined technical standards.

The rule applies to any entity that receives federal financial assistance from HHS, either directly or indirectly. This includes dental practices and dental clinics affiliated with hospitals or health systems; dental schools and academic dental programs; Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program dental providers; community health centers with dental services; dental specialists; and dental researchers or companies receiving federal research funding.

Organizations with 15 or more employees must comply by May 11 while those with fewer than 15 employees have until May 10, 2027.

The American Dental Association has published a digital accessibility guide to help dental practices comply with the rule, which applies to all patient-facing digital tools, including practice websites and mobile apps; patient portals; online intake, consent and medical history forms; and online payment and billing systems.

Making digital content accessible means that everyone, including people with vision, hearing or mobility disabilities, can perceive, understand, navigate and interact with it. Accessibility also ensures content works with assistive technologies and does not rely on a single sense or ability to be usable. It is not acceptable for dental practices to rely on phone calls or staff assistance as a substitute for providing accessible digital tools, according to the guide.

Find the guide and other resources on the ADA’s webpage on navigating accessibility.