Telehealth has the potential to change how we interact with healthcare providers. Advances in healthcare technology provide timely and affordable access to care. Hospitals’ adoption of telemedicine technology has increased by roughly 3.5 percent per year from 54.5 percent in 2014 to 61.3 percent in 2016. An estimated 51-53 percent of U.S. hospitals are expected to have installed telemedicine technology by 2020.
As telehealth services expand their reach in the United States, language access continues to be an important factor in providing effective care for the 25.1 million limited-English proficient individuals in the U.S.
In addition to on-site interpretation and written translation services for healthcare providers, there are two types of interpreter services that use technology to impact telehealth services today – audio and audiovisual:
Audiovisual Telehealth Solutions: Video remote interpreting provides on-demand access to interpreters that can be easily integrated into a telehealth system. Video remote interpretation, or VRI, provides the highest level of accuracy in telehealth interpretation with the added visual support of the interpreter. In addition to access to 300+ spoken languages, VRI also allows healthcare providers to communicate with deaf and hard-of-hearing patients. A Wi-Fi tablet on a wheeled stand can be rolled to a patient, press one button on the touchscreen and choose your language. At Propio, you’ll be connected to a medically trained interpreter in 9 seconds.
- Connect in seconds to a certified interpreter
- Low per-minute rate. No minimums.
- No special hardware needed.
- Remote interpreting solutions for spoken languages and American Sign Language.
- Easy access from any iOS/Android device (phone/tablet), laptop, or PC.
- On-demand access to professional interpreters with visual support for enhanced accuracy.
Audio Telehealth Solutions: Propio Languages Services allows telehealth professionals to connect with patients on-demand, in over 300 languages. Propio’s filter-based qualification interpreter connect feature allows providers to connect with a certified medical interpreter best qualified for the situation – in as little as 3-4 seconds.
- Low per-minute rate
- Fastest connection times in the industry
- Multiple location and real-time transferring
- 24x7x365 customer service support
The Importance of Medical Interpreters in the Telehealth Industry
8% of the United States population is limited-English proficient, meaning they reported speaking English less than “very well.” In addition, 1 in 5 U.S. residents now speaks a language other than English at home. Qualified, professional interpreters are necessary for healthcare professionals to communicate and promote positive health outcomes for patients and telehealth services are no different. On-demand interpretation solutions use technology to keep the telehealth values of providing fast, affordable access to care with the highest level of accuracy in interpreting. Solutions like telephonic interpretation and VRI also help telemedicine to serve communities in rural areas, where on-site interpreters may be difficult to find quickly. With on-demand interpreting at Propio Language Services, you pay for only what you use, without minimums for hidden fees – the power of telephonic interpretation and VRI is that you can access it when you need it, wherever you need it – helping providers communicate effectively in ANY situation.
According to Modern Healthcare, telehealth has the power to improve healthcare access, quality of care, and reduce healthcare costs. Particularly in rural populations, telehealth interpreting offers improved care delivery to support positive health outcomes for limited-English proficient patients.
How Propio Language Services Can Help
Propio provides healthcare organizations and telehealth providers with solutions to easily integrate certified medical interpreters into any telehealth session via leading-edge interpretation technology, 24/7, 365 days a year.
Propio offers Free Service Trial Programs where you can test our services before entering into an agreement.
Our Call Volume Discount Plans are considered to be the best in the industry and are only available to our Healthcare clients. Our contract renewal policy guarantees no rate increases. All interpreter reference materials such as language posters, dialing instructions, tips on effective communication with LEP including dual handset phones are all provided for Free.
Propio provides the highest-quality language services for healthcare organizations nationwide.
Certified medical interpreters ready to speak in over 300 languages!
Contact us for a free quote!
