Organizations must combat inequity by better meeting patients where they are. As healthcare leaders, we are only just beginning to understand the importance of inclusivity when conducting a structural assessment of your institution’s readiness for doctors and patients with disabilities. As organizations struggle to support clinicians’ mental health and address burnout post-pandemic, it is important to explore ways to make the profession accessible to physicians with disabilities. Dr. Poullos, founder and Co-Chair of the Stanford Medicine Abilities Coalition (SMAC), a group composed of people with disabilities and their allies at Stanford Medicine, shares his vision for a digitally-enabled inclusive healthcare system and how organizations can combat inequity by better meeting patients where they are.

COVID-19 has illuminated in stark relief how vast disparities in social determinants affect health care access and outcomes. Care and coverage (or lack thereof) can upset not just individual lives, but communities and economies as well. The pandemic is highlighting the need for a comprehensive public health approach that requires leadership, evidence, clear communication, and community cooperation. Momentum is building to rethink healthcare through the lens of what it means for our society at large. “We know there are huge health disparities,” states Leana Wen, MD, MSc, and Public Health Professor at George Washington University. In her discussion, she speaks about the opportunity to make lasting change.