Healthcare · Leadership into practice
Connect leadership, patient communication, digital services, and vendor decisions so people can access the care they seek.
For healthcare leaders, patient access and experience teams, clinical operations, digital services, communications, procurement, and staff learning teams.
Build your healthcare action planTwo pathways. Shared responsibility.
Choose a pathway for a relevant journey example and planning prompts. The toolkit supports both.
A person finds a service, books an appointment, completes intake, receives instructions, and follows up across the website, scheduling system, messages, and front desk.
Bring together: Service sponsor, patient access, clinical operations, patient experience, communications, IT, accessibility partners, and patients.
Choose one appointment or follow-up task. Trace the digital and staff handoffs that affect whether a person can complete it.
A person activates an account, signs in, prepares for a virtual visit, joins with needed communication support, and accesses messages or follow-up information.
Bring together: Service sponsor, telehealth and portal owners, clinical operations, IT, vendors, communication support teams, accessibility partners, and patients.
Choose one virtual visit or portal task. Include setup, communication support, recovery when a step fails, and the handoff after the visit.
Six decisions that shape access
Choose one recurring practice
your team can improve and sustain.
Who owns access across the whole service?
A sponsor, accountable service owner, and a route for cross-team barriers.
Can a person complete the whole journey?
Owned handoffs from discovering care to accessing follow-up.
Can people access and use the information?
Checked templates, accessible formats, and reliable communication handoffs.
What evidence supports the system decision?
Product-specific evidence, acceptance checks, and accountable vendor follow-up.
What helps staff deliver access reliably?
Role-specific practice, usable help routes, and learning from patients.
What decision will improve access next?
A short brief connecting task barriers, working practices, and decisions.
Make access a shared purpose. Give service decisions an owner. Support staff. Learn from patient participation.
Read. Discuss. Apply.
Seven healthcare tools, plus the sector brief, ACLT foundation, and Guardians of Inclusion. Read online or download a readable HTML copy. Institute materials are working drafts.
10 resources
Connect patient access, clinical operations, technology, communications, and leadership.
Governance · Institute working draft
Read resource: Agree shared ownership of healthcare digital accessTrace scheduling, intake, sign-in, virtual visits, support, and follow-up handoffs.
Patient access · Institute working draft
Read resource: Map an accessible patient journey across systemsCreate a sustainable handoff for instructions, reminders, forms, and follow-up materials.
Documents · Institute working draft
Read resource: Build accessible patient communication into publishingConnect portal, telehealth, scheduling, and other system evidence to purchase and renewal decisions.
Procurement · Institute working draft
Read resource: Review accessibility evidence for healthcare technologyGive staff practical guidance, role clarity, and reliable routes for help and escalation.
Planning · Institute working draft
Read resource: Support staff and learn from patient access barriersConnect patient task barriers, service practices, vendor actions, and resource decisions.
Measurement · Institute working draft
Read resource: Bring healthcare digital access evidence to leadershipDistinguish HHS Section 504 web requirements, ADA context, and other applicable obligations.
Standards · Institute working draft
Read resource: Understand healthcare digital accessibility requirementsUnderstand the core idea: accessibility becomes sustainable when it is part of organizational identity and practice.
Look at access across appointments, patient portals, information, and workforce tools.
Patient access · Institute working draft
Read resource: Healthcare: keep digital care within reachIntroduce the Institute initiative and facilitate a conversation about people, barriers, and leadership responsibility.
Empathy · Institute working draft
Read resource: Guardians of Inclusion: empathy in actionTry another term or clear the workstream filter.
Primary sources checked November 2, 2026
HHS Section 504 web and mobile requirements, ADA duties, and other obligations can overlap. Confirm the organization's scope with its authorized civil rights, accessibility, and legal leads.
The requirements guide links the updated HHS dates and distinguishes employee-count thresholds from the population rules used for public entities under ADA Title II.
Read the healthcare requirements guide · HHS web and mobile deadline update · HHS and DOJ telehealth guidance
One journey. One practice. A next step.
Choose one care access practice your teams can improve together. Download a copy to bring to the team.
Keep the conversation moving
Use the culture review with your team, or talk with Dr. Deb about accessibility culture, research, and collaboration.
