Healthcare systems serve a wide variety of patients and families with a diverse array of health conditions and concerns. About 1 in 4 adults in the U.S. live with a disability that impacts major life activities, such as hearing, thinking, or mobility.  

Navigating websites should be easy for everyone, including those who use a mouseless display, screen reader, or other assistive technologies. That’s the spirit of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG): making sure everyone can access care with dignity. 

Digital accessibility requirements based on WCAG are newly enforceable. After decades of delay, in 2024 the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) updated Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. This update requires healthcare organizations that receive federal funding to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA across all digital properties.    

The rule compels covered healthcare organizations to make sure all public-facing web content and mobile apps to meet the standards. This includes websites, patient portals, online forms, and third-party integrations, even if those tools are designed or hosted by vendors. 

Healthcare organizations must achieve compliance by: 

• May 11, 2026 for those with 15 or more employees 

• May 10, 2027 for those with fewer than 15 employees 

Noncompliance can result in formal investigations from the HHS Office of Civil Rights. Enforcement can include requiring corrective plans or referral to the Department of Justice. In extreme cases, HHS may suspend or terminate federal funding to noncompliant organizations.  

There can be other consequences, too. One organization tracking web accessibility noted that plaintiffs filed more than 4,500 related lawsuits in 2023, or about 80-100 per week. Healthcare organizations were among the most likely to be sued.  

Accessibility is more than meeting the letter of the law. Going beyond compliance can have real benefits for patient recruitment and retention. Highly accessible websites, such as those that meet and exceed the latest WCAG, strengthen the patient experience, support equitable care, and reinforce the health system’s mission. 

Stamats experts can help your organization understand and implement differences in the latest guidelines, but that’s just the beginning. Building an ongoing culture of accessibility can help everyone get the information and care they need, while improving patients access and satisfaction now and in the future. 

WCAG 2.1 vs 2.2: Updated Criteria for Accessibility Success 

WCAG 2.1 Level AA is the most widely recognized standard for digital accessibility. The guidelines, published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), are the basis for government regulations. They’re built on a foundation of four key principles: 

• Perceivable: Information must be presented in ways users can perceive, for example text alternatives for images or captions for video 

• Operable: Navigation and user interfaces must be clear and predictable, such as keyboard or voice control 

• Understandable: Content and interactions must be clear and predictable to avoid confusion and cognitive overload 

• Robust: Digital content must be compatible with current and evolving technologies, such as screen readers and other tools 

The latest version is WCAG 2.2, published in October of 2023. It provides updated criteria for accessibility success, building upon versions 2.0 and 2.1. WCAG 2.2 includes nine additional criteria.  

Navigable 

These guidelines enable users to find content, navigate the site, and understand where they are. 

Updated guidelines include: 

• 2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum): Ensure that when an element gets keyboard focus (such as an outline or highlight that indicates an interactive element on the page) it is not obscured. For instance, a pop-up banner could block important buttons or information and users without a mouse could have difficulty dismissing the banner. 

• 2.4.12 Focus Not Obscured (Enhanced): When an item gets keyboard focus, it is fully visible. In other words, no part of the component is hidden by other content, so keyboard-only users aren’t blocked. 

• 2.4.13 Focus Appearance: Focus indicators should be of sufficient size and contrast, so people who can’t see small changes in appearance can use them. 

Input Modalities 

Updated guidelines make it easier for users to operate with different methods of input. 

These new guidelines include: 

• 2.5.7 Dragging Movements: Provide a simple pointer alternative for any action that involves dragging. Some people have difficulty using a mouse or otherwise dragging items across a screen.  

• 2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum): Buttons and other targets should meet a minimum size and have enough space around them. Small and close buttons can be difficult to click, especially for people with a physical impairment.  

Predictable 

Webpages should appear and operate in ways users can anticipate. WCAG 2.2 updates include: 

• 3.2.6 Consistent Help: Users should be able to find help in the same place on multiple pages, which makes it easier to locate. 

Input Assistance 

These new guidelines help users avoid mistakes, and correct them when necessary: 

• 3.3.7 Redundant Entry: The same information should not be requested more than once in the same session to reduce challenges for users. 

• 3.3.8 Accessible Authentication (Minimum): Users should not need to solve, recall, or transcribe to log in. Users may be challenged when asked to complete puzzles, memorize information, or re-type passcodes. 

• 3.3.9 Accessible Authentication (Enhanced): Users should not need to recognize objects or images and media to log in. Completing puzzles or identifying objects and non-text information can be challenging.  

Related reading: What the New HHS Rule Means for Healthcare Websites  

Beyond Compliance: The Case for Accessibility 

Web accessibility isn’t just about mitigating legal risk and avoiding enforcement. It’s an opportunity for your organization to carve out a competitive advantage.  

More than 61 million people in the U.S. and 1.3 billion worldwide live with a disability. When their friends and family are included, it adds up to $13 trillion in purchasing power.  

Organizations that make inclusive digital design a priority report stronger brand perception, more customer loyalty, and broader market reach. Reputation, retention, and engagement can be especially critical in healthcare, where accessibility can improve efficiency and expand access to underserved patients.  

Accessibility reduces support call volume. It assists aging patients, mobile-first users, and patients with temporary impairments. It’s critical for organizations seeking to reinforce (or establish) brand perceptions such as equity, modernity, and patient-centeredness.  

Moreover, digital accessibility is good ethics, helping health systems meet their mission of providing care for all citizens. After all, accessible websites are useful for everyone, not just patients and families with disabilities.  

Compliance with WCAG is the floor for your organization’s efforts, not the ceiling. Forward-thinking healthcare organizations are embedding accessibility into innovation strategies, not just checklists. 

Evaluating your patient-facing tech stack through an inclusive lens reduces legal risk and helps build a healthcare system that offers all patients the care and access they deserve. 

Stamats experts can help you lead your organization through this transformation.  

Want to secure your compliance and serve all your patients effectively? Download the Section 504 Compliance Guide today.

Colleges have a long history of ransacking the latest management bestsellers in a hunt for new ideas to help survive challenging times.

Of the myriad ideas in play, one in particular has me uneasy: lean management.

I don’t think lean management is a bad idea. I’m concerned that it’s being used to justify some bad behaviors.

Do More With Less

First, I sense that lean management has become a euphemism for saying, “do more with less.” There are two fundamental problems with a “do more with less” approach. First, “doing more” is seldom strategic and should never be construed as a measurement of effectiveness. It is, at best, a measure of busyness and reduces strategy to frenzy.

John Kotter notes that there is a debilitating difference between frenzy and urgency. Frenzy, he says, is false urgency. The hallmark of false urgency is lots of people doing lots of things, but no larger vision of how these things fit together or where the organization is trying to go. “Get busy” is the battle cry of the frenzied manager. “Get strategic” is the battle cry of the urgent leader.

Burn Out

Second, a “do more with less” approach burns out the people whose performance you most need. Talented people are not alchemists. They cannot create something from nothing. They need to be supported with real resources.¹

The first element of lean management has become distorted in today’s difficult climate. The second element—protecting key people—is simply overlooked. Let me offer three observations.

Disenfranchisement

First, consider what happens when key people, saddled with smaller budgets and reduced staff, are routinely asked to deliver the same, or even better, results. This sends a signal that their superiors have little real understanding of the enormity and complexity of the task and that there is no understanding of what it will take to be successful. The net result is gradual but certain disenfranchisement.

Measuring Performance

The second failure occurs when some people and departments are consistently put under the gun while others are not. There is a powerful temptation in higher education to hold those people whose performance can be easily measured to a higher standard than those people whose performance cannot. We see that most clearly in staff positions.

Performance in admissions and advancement, for example, are easy to measure. Performance among library staff and student services are not. Please note that I am not picking on library staff and student services. What I am suggesting, in the larger sense, is that everyone who works at a college or university should understand how their performance will be measured and then held accountable for that performance.

Mean Management

When lean management becomes mean management, two things—both of them bad—occur. First, it becomes punitive. Your best people—your A-team—are overburdened. Because they are the most talented and the most conscientious, they assume, or are given, a disproportionate share of the burden. Shouldering this burden can exact a terrible toll. Of course, there is nothing wrong with working hard. There is something very wrong, however, with continually being asked to perform at the sacrificial level.

Second, your most talented people—the people you absolutely need—will tire of the crucible and get enticed away. Regardless of whatever hiring freeze might be in place, a well-led college or university is always looking for truly talented people, and when it spots those people, it will pounce. Interestingly, and sadly, when your best people get hired away you will be left, in the end, with those people who have no option but to stay in place.

Everyone agrees that times are tough. Correspondingly, higher education should always be on the lookout for the tools that will help it become more effective and efficient. Lean management, properly defined and executed, is one such tool. Poorly defined and haphazardly applied, however, lean management will sacrifice the people that colleges and universities need most. At that point, it is no longer lean, but mean.

Interested in increasing the success of your marketing plan or developing a high performance marketing team? Contact us to discuss! Thank you!

¹Political support, budgetary support, staff support, time, and a clear sense of direction.

One of the biggest challenges facing today’s college marketers is the need to continually measure how their brand strategies are impacting their overall brand equity.

This measurement is important for two reasons. First, it allows you to finetune your brand strategy. Second, measurement helps legitimize your brand marketing efforts to institutional leadership and stakeholders.

At its most basic, brand equity is the value ascribed to your brand. This value is both monetary and non-monetary.

Using a brand value and price elasticity study, for example, we can determine the dollar value of your brand. We can also make a determinant of the monetary value of your brand by repeating baseline research that may have been conducted to establish the initial (or refreshed) brand strategy.

There are, additionally, other ways to measure brand equity. While these measurements may be less precise because they don’t rely on quantitative measurement, they can still offer powerful insights into what’s working…and perhaps what’s not. These measurements are especially valuable when taken en toto rather than individually.

To help you more completely understand these measures, I have “broken” them into three categories.

Student Recruiting/Retention

• Are you closing your class earlier?
• Did the cost of recruiting a student go down?
• Has net tuition increased?
• Has your discount rate gone down?
• Have you enhanced your ability to shape your class on factors such as academic quality, academic program interest, ethnicity, geographic diversity, or other variables?
• Has the quality of your competitor set (overlap schools) increased?
• Is your yield against these competitors going up?
• Has your retention rate gone up?
• Do current students recommend you?

Advancement:

• Did the cost of raising a dollar go down?
• Has alumni giving gone up?
• Has the average alumni gift increased?
• Are more donors seeking you out?
• Are more foundations seeking you out?
• Do alumni recommend you?
• Would your alumni choose you again?

Institutional:

• Has the quality of faculty and staff job applicants increased?
• Are you retaining your best faculty and staff?
• Are faculty and staff supporting your annual funds and capital campaigns?
• Is your overall social media sentiment positive or negative?

As you can see, there are numerous opportunities to measure brand equity. While some of these measures are quantitative and will require some investment, a substantial number of these measures can be utilized using data you regularly collect and already have on hand.

Want to learn more? Schedule a free consultation today.

Another year, another crisis, am I right? From the pandemic to the rippling effects of the current social situation, the patient experience can easily get lost in the shuffle.

But as always, healthcare leaders are launching initiatives and planning for the next wave of change, which is coming faster than ever before.

Nearly 1,000 healthcare executives and marketing/communications professionals gathered in Orlando for Healthcare Marketing & Physician Strategies Summit (HMPS) 2025. Here are three of the buzzworthy patient experience topics that resonated with us at the conference.

Data Storytelling Beats Siloed Metrics

The college knew they needed a change, so they partnered with Stamats to build a better online experience, one focused on a guided pathway system they already had in place academically.

Guided pathways are like career maps centered on areas of interest, which help students who are unsure of their career goals explore different options. At the same time, some students already know exactly what they want to study, and their goal is to quickly identify whether the college has their program.

The challenge was to create a website that delivers answers and options for both populations, quickly and easily.

After an extensive audit to identify priorities and build their roadmap, Stamats and Mid teamed up to redesign their user experience in the Cascade CMS by Hannon Hill. Starting with factual content, the new site created a more streamlined user experience and conversion paths to support the needs of site visitors.

Based on user behavior data, the redesign took a fresh new look. Innovative site features to help prospective students get where they need to go, while making it easier for Mid to make governance updates on the back end.

User Behaviors Drive the Guided Pathway Strategy

The first step was to study how students used the old site and what information was most important based on user behavior. This research showed how students typically searched for programs and where they were getting off track in their quests for information.

That data informed the guided pathway strategy, from design through content creation and development. Mid and Stamats developed several key solutions for sure and searching prospective students.

Interactive Program Finder

Students can explore programs by interest area (the pathways) or search directly for the program they want. The new website strategy puts prospective students at the center of every interaction.

Pathway Overviews

These content hubs give students a broader view of different career fields, such as related programs a student might not have considered. Across the board, Mid’s content uses simple, straightforward language so students can easily understand how to use the guided pathways and how they can benefit from them.

Outcome-Focused Program Content

The program content was redesigned to be easy to read and highlight what students will learn and where their degree can lead them. Related-program crosslinks are included in every program, with links to similar pathways, so students can easily discover more options. To improve governance and ease of maintenance, the team implemented a flexible structure using bricks (one of the first sites to launch this feature).

Intuitive Design & Navigation

My name is Maddy Szczypka. I am a visual artist and designer with a passion for creating laid-back yet striking artwork and graphics.

My interests include visual layouts from magazines or zines, fashion, printmaking art, classic rock music, and travel. In my free time while making art, I focus on transforming everyday life and mundane objects into engaging, meaningful visuals.

Over the past eight years, my creative practice has centered on graphic design and fine arts, including painting, drawing, and various hands-on media. Recently, I’ve expanded into web design and development, 3D modeling, and animation, embracing new technologies to enhance my exploration of art.

These past few months, I’ve been a part of Stamats through a family internship. It’s a wonderful employee benefit where any immediate family member is offered a guaranteed internship.

1. What was the biggest thing you learned at your internship at Stamats?

I gained a lot of insights throughout my time, so it is hard to pick one thing. Some of the most significant lessons I learned include:

• Using Resources Effectively: I discovered how crucial it is to take full advantage of the tools, software, and creative assets at my disposal. This not only streamlined my workflow but also helped me bring ideas to life more efficiently. Whether it was leveraging design templates, researching industry trends, or seeking feedback, I learned to make the most out of every resource available.
• The Power of Collaboration: I realized that collaboration is key to achieving exceptional results. Working alongside a team of talented individuals taught me how to embrace different perspectives, communicate ideas clearly, and build on each other’s strengths. This experience reinforced the idea that great designs are rarely created in isolation—they thrive on teamwork and shared creativity.
• The Importance of Content and Research in the Creative Process: One of the most surprising and impactful lessons was understanding how foundational copywriting and research are to the design process. I learned that some of the best ideas don’t just come from visual brainstorming—they often start with deep research into the brand, audience, and competitive landscape, followed by crafting compelling narratives. This approach not only made my designs and concepts more meaningful but also ensured they aligned with the brand’s voice and objectives.

Overall, this internship taught me the importance of approaching design with intention, curiosity, and collaboration. I’m excited to bring these lessons into my future projects.

2. What variety of tasks did you do?

Throughout my internship, I engaged in extensive research and brainstorming, which laid the foundation for many of my projects. I had the opportunity to create a variety of designs and illustrations. Additionally, a significant portion of my time was dedicated to content migration and quality assurance tasks. These projects were diverse and allowed me to cultivate a well-rounded skill set, blending creativity with technical and problem-solving abilities.

3. Which tasks or projects were the most rewarding or exciting to you?

Some of my most rewarding projects weren’t necessarily the most exciting, but they were incredibly fulfilling because of the hard work and effort I put into bringing them to life. On the other hand, the projects I found most exciting were the ones that allowed me to be highly creative and deeply engaged during the research process. Both types of projects were valuable, as they challenged me in different ways and contributed to my growth.

Related Reading: The ‘Who’ and ‘Why’ Behind Gen Z Employees: What We’ve Learned at Stamats

4. What surprised you the most during your internship?

Initially, I wasn’t sure I’d enjoy working on content migration, even though I had some prior experience with site builds. However, as I got into the process, I found that I could approach the work with efficiency, which made it surprisingly satisfying. In the end, completing these tasks was incredibly rewarding and gave me a sense of accomplishment.

5. How was it working with family?

Working with my family wasn’t much different from working with any other team member. While we were naturally more familiar with each other than I might have been with others initially, the team treated me just like any other member. This allowed me to focus on contributing to the work without any special treatment.

And it didn’t change what I thought my family member did for work. I was glad to have seen firsthand how the team works together, creates concepts, and interacts in a professional environment.

6. What are your career or educational goals, and how has this internship helped you take steps toward them?

My goal has always been to build a career rooted in creativity, using my inspiration to contribute meaningfully and pursue roles in art, design, illustration, or other creative fields. I’ve always been passionate about modern design, zines, fashion, and anything visually compelling. This experience has reignited my excitement for these environments while allowing me to develop my skills and take meaningful steps toward advancing my career.

7. How has this internship changed your view of the type of workplace you’d like to join in the future?

This experience has solidified my vision of working in a welcoming and creative environment—a goal I’ve had since I first imagined what my ideal career would look like. The team I worked with here embodies that vision; they are talented, supportive, and truly inspirational.

8. What do you think sets Stamats apart from other companies offering internships?

I believe the team genuinely wanted the best for me and was always willing to help with the smaller details—things that might go unnoticed in another internship. Their support extended beyond the day-to-day tasks, as they truly wanted to see me succeed, even after the time allotted.

After November 5th, public relations and brand advertising will require yet another set of nuanced strategies. Here are five key things to consider in your messaging, why they matter, and what to do:

1. Messaging and Tone Sensitivity

• Why it matters: After an election, the political climate can be charged with emotional reactions, whether positive or negative. Brand advertisers and PR teams need to be sensitive to varying sentiments.
• What to do: Adopt a neutral or inclusive tone that respects different perspectives. Avoid polarizing language and remain cautious about referencing alignment to political statements. Even if your message aligns with your brand’s core values, it’s best to create a neutral tone.

2. Audience Segmentation

• Why it matters: Different segments of your audience may react to your brand differently depending on the election results. Some might feel empowered, while others may feel disappointed or marginalized.
• What to do: Segment your audience and tailor your messaging to each group’s needs and expectations. Understanding regional, demographic, and ideological differences will be critical in maintaining engagement.

3. Brand Authenticity and Values Alignment

• Why it matters: Prospective clients and clients tend to align with  brands to reflect their values, especially after politically significant events. Misalignment can lead to brand distrust so proceed with caution.
• What to do: Reinforce your brand’s core values in advertising and PR efforts. If your brand has a history of social or political engagement, ensure that your post-election messaging remains consistent with past actions.

4. Timing and Relevance

• Why it matters: Timing is critical in post-election periods. While the public may be bombarded with political content, there’s also fatigue.
• What to do: Consider whether it’s the right time to advertise or launch a PR campaign. Focus on adding value, offering solutions, or delivering non-political content that resonates with audiences beyond the election buzz.

5. Crisis Management and Preparedness

• Why it matters: The aftermath of elections can lead to unexpected shifts in the political landscape, regulations, or public opinion that may affect your brand or industry.
• What to do: Prepare your team for potential PR crises. Develop a rapid response strategy to address negative fallout, whether it’s related to the election or unrelated events heightened by the political atmosphere.

Remaining sensitive to the mood of the nation while staying true to your brand values will be crucial for post-election advertising and PR success. Let’s talk about your plan!