January brings a noticeable shift in patient volume for most clinics and hospitals. Respiratory illnesses rise at the same time families return to school, work, and childcare routines. This creates more questions, more follow-up calls, and more need for clear instructions. When patients and families speak different languages, the winter surge becomes even harder to … Continued
Medical providers continue to struggle with meeting the needs of patients who are deaf and hard of hearing. A recently-settled lawsuit brought by the Florida Association of the Deaf against a major hospital highlights the importance of providing quality care to those without hearing. Here are three issues raised in the lawsuit regarding video interpretation, as … Continued
Over the phone interpretation, OPI, phone interpretation whatever name you prefer, the ability to pick up the phone and connect to a professional interpreter has become a staple for healthcare professionals treating limited-English proficient (LEP) patients. Shifting US demographics and legislation like Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act make interpreters essential for practicing medicine, and phone … Continued
The material herein is educational and informational only. No legal advice is provided You’ve considered the patients themselves when it comes to translating discharge instructions, but have you considered their caretakers? Recently a patient sued a Texas hospital system, alleging that the hospital violated the Affordable Care Act’s prohibition on national origin discrimination when it … Continued
CMS Overall Hospital Star Ratings are available online and reviewable by potential patients deciding where to seek treatment. This represents a challenge for healthcare organizations whose ratings are on the low side. Improving these ratings has become an executive-level priority for many hospital leaders. If you manage language services for a hospital or healthcare organization, … Continued
You want to provide translations for your patients to lower readmission rates, improve patient satisfaction, and keep within the letter of the law. But how do you determine when and how to translate your organization s documents? Fortunately, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has provided a guide to help you to determine when documents need … Continued
A limited-English proficient (LEP) patient who refuses to use a professional interpreter can put your staff in a challenging position. First, there’s legal compliance to consider: Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act requires covered hospitals and healthcare organizations to provide qualified interpreters to patients who need them. Patient safety is also an issue: the Joint Commission lists provider/patient communication … Continued
Your hospital has a language services program in place – you have a few on-site bilingual staff who are qualified to interpret, and you have phone and video interpretation provided by qualified interpreters at the touch of a button. But has your organization thought about translating common forms and informational documents? You might be surprised … Continued
A 2018 review (entitled Patient Satisfaction of Telephone or Video Interpreter Services Compared with In-Person Services) collected results from eight separate studies. Each sought to compare patient satisfaction with phone or video interpretation to that of an on-site interpreter. Patient satisfaction – and its subsequent HCAHPS scores – represents a critical metric for hospitals and healthcare organizations. Understanding how language … Continued
CMS star ratings for health plans have always considered exceptional member satisfaction when measuring quality healthcare. However, changes to the star rating criteria in 2021 make a positive member experience more critical than before. How will these changes affect your plan’s star rating and funding? How can you improve your plan’s member experience? Let’s dive … Continued
