MTI manufactures ADA compliant exam room medical and dental equipment giving access to all your patients without compromising chair or table height, extension, features, or technology. MTI’s involvement with helping to create ADA compliance Standards has led us to incredible advancements in exam room equipment operation and technology. The goal remains to manufacture exam room equipment delivering better outcomes for specialty healthcare providers and patients.
MTI Helps Create ADA Compliance Standards
In 2010, the Access Board invited leaders of the medical and dental equipment industry, healthcare providers, and other industry advocates to determine specific standards for all diagnostic equipment, including exam room chairs and tables. The board sought to define and put teeth in the 1990 ADA law regarding the design of medical and dental equipment. America’s implementation of ADA regulations up to this point ensured that Americans with disabilities could access buildings using ramps and automatic doors, but still denied patients the ability to transfer to exam and procedure equipment without assistance from another person. MTI founder Jeff Baker participated in the discussions, negotiations, and recommendations, which have ultimately become the regulatory compliance standards of today.
“I was honored to be invited to consult with the Access Board to help develop ADA regulations. Brainstorming and participating with the team has led MTI to so many innovations and insights through the years,” explains MTI Founder Jeff Baker. “Visualizing things from a disabled patient’s perspective forces you to approach product design very differently. Our efforts afford disabled patients the dignity of moving from one surface to another without help. Millions of disabled individuals today are denied access to the examination chair or table because the surface is too high or does not have the transfer support necessary to transfer on their own. On that committee, MTI was one of the major driving forces behind the height and other requirements that pushed the transfer surface low enough for a patient to move from a wheelchair to the exam chair surface.”
Being part of the ADA compliance standards process reinvigorated MTI’s dedication to manufacturing high-quality, technically advanced, specialized medical and dental chairs and tables meeting the new guidelines. Today, MTI prides itself on offering ADA compliant exam room equipment and accessories with patented features providing a better experience for healthcare professionals and leading to better patient outcomes.
Understanding ADA Chair and Table Compliance Standards
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) outlines federal civil rights laws prohibiting discrimination against individuals with disabilities in everyday activities, including equal access to medical services. The 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA) established specifications for medical devices to remove healthcare barriers for those with mobility disabilities. In 2012, the ACA mandated that the United States Access Board write compliance standards. In January 2017, the Access Board added part 1195 to title 36 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Several states have also indicated they intend to adopt these new standards to regulate access to healthcare by patients with mobility disabilities.
Medical diagnostic equipment (MDE) standards aim to provide physical configuration and operational characteristics of accessible examination tables and chairs so that medical and dental facilities can properly serve individuals with disabilities. Most equipment falls into one of these categories:
M301 – Diagnostic Equipment Used by Patients in Supine, Prone, or Side-Lying Position such as GYN and OB, are categorized as M301 equipment.
M302 – Diagnostic Equipment Used by Patients in a Seated Position such as ENT, Podiatry, Dermatology, Plastic Surgery, Ophthalmology, Oral Surgery, and others, are categorized as M302 equipment.
The regulations below specify the dimensional requirements of M301 and M302 equipment.
17″-19″ Entry Height
A low transfer adjustable height of 17″-19″ and a high transfer height of at least 25″ for M301 and M302 equipment is required. Entry Height should be 17″-19″ from the floor to the highest point of the transfer surface, including bolsters, with the upholstery in an “uncompressed” (relaxed) condition.
21″x17″ Transfer Surface
M302 equipment must have a transfer surface at least 21″ wide and 17″ deep. M302 medical chairs must transfer on two adjoining sides (front and side) of the transfer surface. There is an exception for M302 equipment that permits transfer from a mobility device onto opposing sides of the transfer surface when a fixed footrest obstructs the transfer surface, such as ENT, Dental, and Podiatry chairs.
Transfer Support
A Transfer Support must be a minimum of 15″ in length, have a maximum transfer support position of 1.5″ from the horizontal transfer surface, and cover a minimum 13.5″ depth of the transfer surface. The cross-sectional dimensions of the transfer support are also specified to ensure patients can get a firm grip.
MTI Advances Chair and Table Technology Meeting ADA Compliance Standards
MTI’s efforts to incorporate ADA compliance standards lead the company to breakthroughs in specialty exam room chair and table technology and engineering. Many breakthroughs are patented today.
Achieving 17-19” entry height for standard, swivel and mobile base styles
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- Intelligent, retractable motorized footrest to achieve <19” height – Patent #10,632,037 & continuation 10,898,402
- Compact swivel base with motorized locking mechanism – Patent #10,632,037 & continuation 10,898,402 – ADA compliant, one touch swivel locking
- Compact “Low Boy” mobile base with fully functional steering casters
SmartTech™ / Smart Safety™ intelligence preventing impacts
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- Not only prevents collisions, but also simply moves the chair into a safe position to accommodate the desired movement.
- Constantly tracks the position of each actuator and calculates interference that would compromise safety of the patient or caregiver.
ComfortSync™
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- Foot rest on 463/464 supports patient’s feet at 90 degrees, even while the foot section angle is raised – so the patient does not feel like they are sliding out of the chair once the back section begins to recline.
Soft Start and Stop Technology
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- Set the patient at ease to smoothly move them from position to position.
Are You Eligible for an ADA Section 44 Tax Credit?
The ADA tax credit is a credit applying to a business tax return due to expenditures incurred to provide access to disabled individuals. Two tax incentives are available to businesses to help cover the cost of making access improvements. The first is a tax credit for architectural adaptations, equipment acquisitions, and other services. The second is a tax deduction for architectural or transportation adaptations.
The tax credit is available to businesses with 30 or fewer full-time employees OR total revenues of $1,000,000 or less in the previous tax year. An income tax credit can cover 50% of the eligible access expenditures in a year up to $10,250 (maximum credit of $5000).
ADA Section 44 Tax Credit Example:
If a physician purchases MTI ADA compliant table(s)/chair(s) for $11,000, and the physician’s tax advisor agrees that the expenditure and physician’s practice meet the requirements of the Section 44 ADA Credit, then the practice can claim a $5000 tax credit in that tax year. In addition, a practice may deduct $6000 ($11,000 less the credit of $5000) in Depreciation over the table’s tax code economic life or using Section 179 Accelerated Depreciation; it may be entirely deducted in the first year of the purchase of the table(s)/chair(s).
Assume the physician is in a 35% tax bracket. Utilizing the ADA Section 44 Tax Credit and Section 179 deduction, the net out-of-pocket cost for the $11,000 table(s)/chair(s) would be only $3900.
| Cost of MTI table(s)/chair(s) | $ 11,000 |
| ADA Section 44 Tax Credit | ($5,000) |
| Tax Difference from Depreciation Deduction ($6000 x 35% tax) | ($2,100) |
| Net MTI table(s)/chair(s) Cost | $3,900 |
Consult a professional tax advisor to verify eligibility.
MTI believes your practice can utilize ADA compliant tables and chairs and enjoy technology-rich, intuitive, and easy-to-use exam room tables and chairs that create better experiences for medical and dental professionals and patients. Elevating the patient experience and reducing physical stress on staff is achievable. Better patient outcomes result from healthcare delivery without compromising exam room equipment quality, technology, or compliance standards. Find our more information about ADA regulations.
Download our Are You ADA Aware Brochure
