
1. Provide Better
Patient Care
Effective communication between patients and care
givers is a critical factor in providing good patient care. Without
effective communication, limited-English-speaking patients may not get
the care that they need, sometimes waiting longer for care or being
misunderstood. Providing effective, professional interpretation
services helps bridge the gap between patients and their care givers,
ensuring effective communication and ultimately improved care for
patients.
2. Improve Customer Satisfaction
Accurate customer satisfaction measurements must
include feedback from all patients, including your
limited-English-speaking patients. If you don't already have adequate,
effective interpretation programs in place, it is likely that customer
satisfaction levels among limited-English-speaking patients are much
lower than levels from the rest of the patient population. Providing
better interpretation services to limited-English-speaking patients is
an easy way to improve your customer satisfaction levels from those
patients, which consequently improves your overall customer
satisfaction levels.
3. Meet Federal Government Requirement
Through Title IV of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and a recent
Executive Order, the federal government now requires all federally
funded health care providers to provide adequate accommodations for
patients who don't speak English. These requirements are being
enforced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office
for Civil Rights. Having effective, professional interpretation
services available to all patients helps health care providers meet
these federal requirements.