Finding a Health Equity Partner for Language Services

The following is a guest article by Merrie Wallace, Chief Revenue Officer at Boostlingo In today’s healthcare landscape, the shift to value-based care and expanding requirements from the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) have magnified the importance of language access. As patient outcomes have become the focus in an increasingly diverse patient population, interpretation becomes essential for driving improvements in care for limited English proficiency (LEP) patients. There has been a growing need for on-demand services and increased outsourcing to meet them, with many organizations turning to external vendors to fill these gaps. While many vendors are quick to advertise around-the-clock interpreter availability, it’s important to ensure that these claims are backed by actual capacity and quality. There are distressing yet prevalent scenarios in which patients are unable to receive care due to the unavailability of interpreters. There are also situations where unqualified bilingual staff, who lack specialized training in medical interpretation, are called upon, jeopardizing patient health and removing providers from their current duties. Consequences of Not Providing Language Access Non compliance with the OCR under the HIPAA and ACA LEP patients not receiving care Miscommunication with and worsened health outcomes for patients Frustrated staff and lost time Finding the Right Partner for Health Equity How can you safeguard your organization from having to turn LEP ...
Source: EMR and HIPAA - Category: Information Technology Authors: Tags: Ambulatory C-Suite Leadership Communication and Patient Experience Health IT Company Healthcare IT Hospital - Health System LTPAC Regulations Boostlingo Health Equity Healthcare Language Services Healthcare Scene Featured Healthcar Source Type: blogs