Budgeting for language services often happens quickly at the start of the year. Teams make estimates, set line items, and move on to other priorities. Later, when demand increases, those early assumptions can create pressure on timelines, coverage, and cost. Early budgeting works best when it reflects how language services are actually used, not how … 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
With Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act expanding Title VI’s language access requirements for healthcare providers, most hospitals and healthcare organizations have a plan in place to provide in-language care. The next step: Ensuring that all interpreters – whether on-site or via phone and video – are of the highest quality. Interpreting is a highly specialized … 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
One of the very first protocols an interpreter learns is to interpret in the first person, speaking as if they were the LEP (Limited English Proficient) or client. For example, if the LEP says I don t know, the interpreter must also say I don t know, as opposed to She doesn’t know or The … Continued
Today, American Sign Language, or ASL, is the most famous and well-recognized method of communication for the Deaf community in this country. You may be surprised to know that there was a time in our history when ASL was thought to do more harm than good, to the point where teaching it was banned from most schools … Continued
Certified Deaf Interpreters (CDIs) are interpreters who, while being deaf themselves, have been trained to interpret for deaf patients who may have a limited knowledge of American Sign Language (ASL). If a patient is not fluent in ASL and uses a mixture of gesture/home signs or have a psychological or physical challenge preventing them from using ASL, a CDI … Continued
It’s been three years since Health and Human Services’ final order on Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act took effect. US healthcare providers have worked hard to meet the language access requirements that Section 1557 lays out. Has your organization achieved compliance with the interpretation and translation requirements found in Section 1557 of the Affordable Care … Continued
MYTH 1: SIGN LANGUAGE IS UNIVERSAL. ONCE YOU KNOW IT, YOU CAN COMMUNICATE WITH THE DEAF ALL OVER THE WORLD It’s easy to watch someone signing and assume that those signs would work anywhere. But that’s not the case like spoken languages, sign language varies from place to place, and most countries have their own unique … Continued
Choosing a language services provider for your hospital or healthcare organization is a significant responsibility. The Joint Commission has identified communication problems between providers and their patients as the root cause of one in five sentinel events in healthcare, so choosing a partner to provide a quality of interpretation and translation which ensures clear communication is crucial. Unfortunately, some language services … Continued
