athenahealth and the American Council of the Blind Collaborate to Expand Digital Accessibility for athenahealth Patients
April 24 2024 - 10:00AM
Business Wire
Designing patient-facing athenahealth
applications to meet global industry accessibility standards
athenahealth, Inc., a leading provider of network-enabled
software and services for medical groups and health systems
nationwide, is collaborating with the American Council of the Blind
to design and build more inclusive and accessible experiences for
blind and visually impaired patients as part of the company’s
broader digital accessibility commitments. The collaboration
expands athenahealth’s approach to accessibility around its
patient-facing applications to be more inclusive for millions of
patients.
“There are already too many barriers for people trying to access
care in the United States – especially for those who are visually
impaired,” said Claire Stanley, director of advocacy and government
affairs at the American Council of the Blind. “Technology can help
reduce those barriers, empowering individuals to better communicate
with their providers, and manage their own care. We’re excited to
be working with athenahealth as they continue to make their patient
experiences more digitally accessible and inclusive.”
Since partnering with the American Council of the Blind to
increase the company’s understanding of the specific healthcare
needs and experiences of individuals with visual impairments,
athenahealth has evolved its approach to accessibility for these
patients. Among the updates it has made to its accessibility
strategy:
- Formalizing goals and measures of success to pursue conformance
with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA,
a set of internationally recognized guidelines that provides a
framework and set of recommendations for making web content more
accessible to individuals with disabilities.
- Building a program around real-world usability testing and
ongoing patient feedback, including engaging directly with
individuals who use assistive technology in their own lives to test
its product. Additionally, to ensure continuous improvements,
athenahealth has a feedback channel for patients to report if they
encounter accessibility barriers while using its patient-facing
applications.
- Bolstering patient accessibility training and feedback across
the product development lifecycle not just through testing, but
also in ongoing employee training, design reviews, formal
conformance testing, and more.
“At athenahealth, our vision is to create a thriving ecosystem
that delivers accessible, high-quality, and sustainable healthcare
for all. That means ensuring our digital experiences work for all
patients, regardless of ability,” said Paul Brient, chief product
officer at athenahealth. “athenahealth is committed to enhancing
its patient-facing applications by collaborating with organizations
that offer expertise, and lived experience is an essential part of
that work, which is why working with the American Council of the
Blind has been so valuable.”
About the American Council of the Blind American Council
of the Blind is a national consumer-based advocacy organization
working on behalf of blind and low vision Americans throughout the
country, with members organized through seventy state and special
interest affiliates. ACB is dedicated to improving the quality of
life, equality of opportunity and independence of all people who
have visual impairments. Its members and affiliated organizations
have a long history of commitment to the advancement of policies
and programs which will enhance independence for people who are
blind and visually impaired. More information about ACB can be
found by visiting the ACB website.
About athenahealth, Inc. athenahealth creates innovative
healthcare technology that connects clinicians, patients, payers,
and partners in differentiated ways. Our electronic health record,
revenue cycle management, and patient engagement solutions allow
anytime, anywhere access, driving better financial outcomes for our
customers and enabling our provider customers to deliver better
quality care. In everything we do, we’re inspired by our vision to
create a thriving ecosystem that delivers accessible, high-quality,
and sustainable healthcare for all. For more information, please
visit www.athenahealth.com.
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Nikki D’Addario ndaddario@athenahealth.com