According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), individuals with disabilities must be allowed to be accompanied by their service animals in all areas of a place of public accommodation. ADA requires healthcare facilities, as places of public accommodation, to modify policies, practices, or procedures to permit the use of a service animal by an individual with a disability unless the presence of the animal would compromise health or safety standards, such as in the operating room.
A facility may ask an individual with a disability to remove a service animal from the premises only if any of the following conditions apply:
- The animal is out of control and the animal's handler does not take effective action to control it.
- The animal is not housebroken.
- The animal is properly excluded.