The ADA and the health care workplace

T Employment related exposures are quickly becoming one of the largest liability exposures facing health care organizations, because employment claims as a whole are increasing in the courts and health care employees are usually highly paid professionals. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) presents its own particular exposure implications, particularly because a health care employer's decision as to whether its employed health care professional is qualified to continue working can often affect patient care. The focus of this article is on how Title I of the ADA affects employment decisions in the health care workplace and what a health care employer can do to mitigate its ADA exposure. This article describes the scope and effect that the ADA has on the health care workplace. It also outlines an ADA compliance program with protocols and procedures for addressing ADA issues that arise in a health care practice.