Healthcare entities will need to update their website by October 16, 2016 to comply with Section 1557
Section 1557 is the nondiscrimination provision of the Affordable Care Act. It states that individuals cannot be subject to discrimination based on their race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. Section 1557 has been in effect since the passage of the ACA and the Final Rules went into effect July 18, 2016.
In an effort to comply with Section 1557, hospitals, medical and dental practices have until October 16, 2016 to post required notices and taglines to their website.
What needs to be posted
Hospitals, medical practices and other covered entities will need to post a notice of non-discrimination in English and shorter “taglines” in the top 15 non-English languages spoken in their state about the availability of free language assistance services.
The long form English notice and the suggested 15 taglines should be posted in a visible font size in a conspicuous location on the practice website such as the homepage. Links to the 15 non-English taglines must also appear on the homepage and must be provided in the non-English language (e.g. “Español”, not “Spanish”).
Practis also suggests that you add some language to your privacy as well as your policies pages.
For further guidance regarding Section 1557, please visit the Department of Health & Human Services website.