With new standards for medical diagnostic equipment in place, are your physician office customers equipped and compliant?
Small details can have a profound effect on enhancing patient access and care. Take medical diagnostic equipment. In 2017, the US Access Board released standards for accessible medical equipment, but one key area—low seat height—remained flexible, allowing a range from 17 to 19 inches. The federal agency’s 2024 ruling finalized this by setting the low seat height requirement to 17 inches or lower. It marked a major step in improving healthcare accessibility, according to August Boehnlein, Associate Marketing Manager for Midmark Corporation.
“The US Access Board found that at a low seat height of 17 inches, you are providing access and accessible care for 96% of patients who utilize a wheelchair,” Boehnlein explained to Repertoire Magazine Publisher Scott Adams in a recent podcast. “By implementing the 17-inch low-seat-height requirement, among the other standards, they’re truly revolutionizing accessibility.”
This May, Midmark launched the first and only procedure chair fully compliant with the new 2024 accessibility standards. The 631 Procedure Chair features a low seat height of 17 inches, making it accessible to 96% of wheelchair users.1
Beyond the low seat height, the chair includes:
- A 39-inch high-seat-height allowing providers to work with proper ergonomics (standing or seated)
- Transfer surface that is 28 or 32 inches wide
- A base less than 26 inches wide, compatible with patient lifts
- Patient Support Rails that feature a continuous 1.25-inch gripping surface, aiding independent transfers and stability
- Articulating Knee Crutches that support a patient’s thigh, knee and calf during lower body procedures.
In short, the 631 Procedure Chair meets all the current accessibility requirements, making it the most accessible and compliant procedure chair on the market.
The 631 Procedure Chair also complements the Midmark 626 Exam Chair. The 626 Exam Chair is fully compliant and highly accessible, with an even lower seat height of 15.5 inches, while maintaining a 37-inch high seat height for working with proper ergonomics while seated or standing.
“The Midmark mission statement is around improving the experience between the patient and the caregiver,” Boehnlein said. “We felt that if we were truly going to accomplish that mission, we needed to be a leader in accessibility. And that’s not just in the exam space, but also in the procedure space.”
Distributor reps have a real opportunity to emphasize that investing in both chairs helps facilities meet rising accessibility demands, enhances patient comfort, and ensures provider efficiency—all while staying compliant with evolving standards.
The population of Americans aged 65 and older is projected to surpass 80 million by 2050.2 In addition, over 70 million Americans reported having a disability in 2022.3 As a result, patients are not only aging but are also facing a growing number of medical conditions. The need for accessibility isn’t diminishing—it’s becoming increasingly important.
1. Analysis of Low Wheelchair Seat Heights and Transfer Surfaces for Medical Diagnostic Equipment: www.access-board.gov/research/human/wheelchair-seat-height
2. 2020 Census Will Help Policymakers Prepare for the Incoming Wave of Aging Boomers: www.census.gov/library/stories/2019/12/by-2030-all-baby-boomers-will-be-age-65-or-older.html
3. CDC Data Shows Over 70 Million U.S. Adults Reported Having a Disability: www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2024/s0716-Adult-disability.html#:~:text=