The Digital Solution to the Healthcare Access Crisis: How Tech Companies Can Help

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The Digital Solution to the Healthcare Access Crisis: How Tech Companies Can Help

Posted February 26, 2025

AudioEye

Posted February 26, 2025

Individual in a wheelchair looking over a gap between two platforms; one platform has the accessibility symbol on it.
Individual in a wheelchair looking over a gap between two platforms; one platform has the accessibility symbol on it.

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Inaccessible technology limits healthcare access for many, particularly individuals with disabilities or the elderly community. Below, we’ll explore tech companies' role in bridging this gap and improving healthcare access for all users.

Technology has reshaped the healthcare industry — virtual appointments, AI-powered diagnostics, wearable health devices, and instant access to medical records. It’s all fueled by technological advancements and has changed how patients receive care.

Yet, for all the advancements, there’s a growing divide: not everyone can easily access or use these digital tools. While telehealth visits have surged by over 6,000% during the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of people — particularly those with disabilities, older adults, and rural populations — struggled to benefit from these innovations.

According to Pew Research, 42 million people lack reliable internet access, cutting them off from telehealth services. Many patient portals also fail to meet accessibility standards, making it difficult for users with disabilities to manage their care independently. Rather than reducing disparities, the gap between medical need and access is only increasing. But it doesn’t have to.

Below, we’ll explore how inaccessible technology limits healthcare access and tech companies' role in solving these challenges.

Top Technology Barriers to Healthcare Access

Despite the benefits that have come from the digitization of healthcare, many are unable to access the care they need due to technology-related barriers. These challenges don’t just affect individuals — they create inefficiencies in healthcare practices, compliance risks, and lost revenue. Some of these technology barriers include:

  • Lack of interoperability: Many electronic health record (EHR) systems don’t communicate well with each other, forcing patients to navigate between multiple platforms or repeat their medical histories. This ultimately makes care coordination between healthcare professionals a nightmare.
  • Lack of internet access and digital literacy: This particularly affects those living in rural areas or low-income households. Even for those with internet access, digital literacy is another major hurdle — especially for older adults who may struggle to use telehealth or patient portals.
  • Limited mobile accessibility: Despite most Americans owning smartphones, many mobile healthcare apps aren’t designed for accessibility, with small text, poor contrast, and limited support for assistive technologies.
  • Complicated patient portals: While many patient portals offer convenience, many are difficult to navigate, especially for individuals with disabilities, low health literacy, or non-English speakers.
  • Language and literacy barriers: More than 25 million people in the U.S. have limited English proficiency, yet many digital health tools lack multilingual support. Also, medical jargon can confuse patient education materials, leading to miscommunications and lower engagement.
  • Security and privacy concerns: While data security is critical, overly complex login requirements (such as multi-factor authentication or CAPTCHA challenges) can make portals difficult to use and even inaccessible to some users.
  • Inaccessible telehealth platforms, medical devices, and wearables: Many telehealth platforms are not accessible to individuals with disabilities. They lack accessibility features like live captions, screen reader compatibility, alternative input methods, and alt text, which are essential for accessibility. Similarly, health-monitoring devices like glucose monitors and blood pressure cuffs often lack voice guidance or alternative input methods, making them difficult to use for individuals with visual or motor impairments.

These barriers don’t just create frustration for patients — they also impact healthcare organizations. From poor patient outcomes and low engagement rates to higher compliance and legal risks, these technology barriers in healthcare can have a serious impact on healthcare organizations. 

Mobile phone showing a female doctor shaking the hand of a young woman who's holding a medicine bottle. Health icons are on the left side of the young woman; the accessibility symbol is positioned behind the mobile phone.

The Role Technology Companies Play in Closing the Gap

Tech companies play a huge role in closing the gap between medical need and access. By designing more inclusive platforms, improving usability, and expanding access to vital health resources, tech companies have the power to close the healthcare access gap instead of widening it.

Below are key ways tech companies can step up and create a more equitable healthcare system.

Design with Accessibility from the Start

All healthcare platforms should be designed to be accessible from the ground up. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) provide tech companies with a perfect foundation for making digital content more usable for individuals with disabilities. Features like keyboard navigation, assistive technology compatibility, sufficient color contrast, closed captions, and alt text are all essential for increasing accessibility and ensuring healthcare apps work for everyone.


Accessible healthcare platforms are a necessity — especially considering individuals with disabilities have a higher need for healthcare services. With one in four individuals in the U.S. having a disability, many face barriers when accessing digital health tools. By following WCAG guidelines, tech companies can ensure patients aren’t excluded from managing their own care.

Improve Telehealth Usability

Telehealth has become a popular care option, but complicated interfaces and inaccessible platforms still prevent many people from using it effectively. Just as accessible web design is critical, simplifying technology interfaces — especially in patient portals and telehealth apps — can dramatically improve usability. 

Some ways to improve telehealth usability include:

  • Simplified navigation: Reduce clutter, provide clear instructions, and use intuitive design to help users find what they need more quickly.
  • Easier logins: Offer alternatives to complex passwords, such as biometric authentication (fingerprint or facial recognition) or passkeys, to make logging in easier.
  • Compatibility with assistive technology: Ensure telehealth platforms support screen readers, voice controls, and alternative input methods for users with disabilities. 

Not only does higher usability benefit patients, but it also reduces the administrative workload in healthcare settings by minimizing the need for tech support and troubleshooting.

Expand Internet Access and Digital Literacy

While government programs aim to improve broadband access, tech companies can play a role in expanding internet access. For example, tech companies can partner with telecom providers to offer subsidized or free internet for underserved populations (if able). 

Beyond internet access, digital literacy is equally important. Many people — particularly older adults — struggle to navigate online healthcare tools. Tech companies can help by:

  • Providing digital literacy training: Developing educational resources, tutorials, or community training programs can help patients confidently use telehealth, patient portals, and other digital health tools.
  • Simplifying online healthcare experiences: Create user-friendly designs that don’t require extensive tech knowledge to navigate. 


By addressing both internet access and digital literacy, tech companies can remove major obstacles to digital healthcare adoption.

Ensure Wearable Devices and Medical Tech are Inclusive

Health-monitoring devices like smartwatches, glucose monitors, and blood pressure cuffs have changed preventive care. But many of these tools aren’t designed for people with disabilities, limiting their effectiveness for a huge percentage of the population. 

To make medical technology more inclusive, tech companies should:

  • Include voice-enabled features: Wearable medical devices should provide audible readouts for users with visual impairments.
  • Add alternative controls: Include switch-adapted or motion-sensitive inputs for users with motor disabilities. 
  • Support cross-device compatibility: Ensure that health data syncs with accessible platforms, allowing users to integrate their health information with assistive technologies. 

Designing wearables with accessibility in mind enables tech companies to help more people manage their health on their own.

Enhance AI and Assistive Technologies

AI has huge potential to personalize healthcare (even more than it already has) and improve accessibility. Some key applications include:

  • Real-time text-to-speech capabilities: AI-powered transcription and voice synthesis can help patients read and understand medical information in real-time.
  • Personalized health recommendations: AI-driven platforms can adapt to users’ specific needs, offering tailored suggestions based on their accessibility requirements. 
  • Inclusive chatbots and virtual assistants: Ensure AI-powered health assistants are usable by individuals with disabilities, including support for screen readers and alternative input methods.

Leveraging AI for accessibility allows tech companies to make healthcare tools more intuitive and responsive to users’ diverse needs.

Commit to Inclusive Research and Development

One of the biggest reasons healthcare technology fails to be inclusive is that many companies don’t involve people with disabilities and underserved communities in the design process. The best way to fix this? Bring them into the conversation. 

Tech companies should:

  • Include individuals with disabilities in product testing to ensure real-world usability.
  • Consult accessibility experts and advocacy groups when designing digital health tools.
  • Gather feedback from diverse users throughout development — not just after launch.
  • Follow accessible design best practices to enhance accessibility and usability around digital content. 

By making inclusivity a core part of research and development, tech companies can ensure healthcare innovations truly serve everyone.

Bridge the Gap Between Innovation and Access with AudioEye

As technology continues to advance, it has the power to further improve healthcare for millions of people worldwide — but only if it's designed with accessibility and usability in mind. Right now, too many patients are left behind due to complicated interfaces, digital literacy gaps, and inaccessible platforms. But the solution is clear: tech companies must take a proactive approach to designing healthcare tools that serve all patients, not just the digitally savvy.

The first step to closing this gap: AudioEye. From our free Web Accessibility Scanner to our Expert Audits, AudioEye’s three-pronged approach to accessibility enables tech companies to achieve industry-leading compliance with accessibility standards. We do this with our AI-driven technology that detects and fixes accessibility issues in real time and with audits from accessibility experts and members of the disability community. Plus, by incorporating accessibility testing tools directly into the development cycle, tech companies can create more accessible solutions from the beginning. 

Take the first step towards closing the gap between medical need and access. Scan your digital content with our free Web Accessibility Scanner to see how accessible your existing content is.


Want to see what more AudioEye can do for your business? Schedule a demo today.

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