Demand for Language Assistance in U.S. Hospitals Grows; Language Line Services Reports 20 Percent Increase in Call Volumes Nationwide

Hospitals strive to prevent painful side effects of miscommunication between medical caregivers and patients

MONTEREY, CA – (February 11, 2008) –  From 2006 to 2007 medical interpreting usage increased 19.8 percent nationally among health care clients of Language Line Services, the leading provider of language services.

Some urban areas like Boston, New York City and Chicago experienced even larger increases of 41, 34, and 31 percent, respectively.

This rising demand for improved communication in health care delivery mirrors the nation’s growing immigrant population, where every 19 seconds a limited English speaker enters the United States.

One in five, or over 60 million people in the country, speak a language other than English at home, according to the most recent U.S. Census reports.

Of those, approximately 25.2 million are classified as limited English proficient (LEP). As the population becomes more linguistically diverse, the responsibility to provide language interpreting services to limited English-speaking patients becomes more apparent and more urgent.

“Government regulators and health care providers recognize the need for qualified medical interpreting, paving the way for increased demand of language access services,” explains José Martín, RHD language services manager with Contra Costa Health Services in California.

“At Contra Costa, we’ve responded by establishing a comprehensive program that includes over-the-phone and video interpretation, as well as face-to-face interpretation. We believe these language services don’t just improve health care delivery and ensure patient safety, they save lives.”

According to a University of California, Irvine study published in 2007, language remains a critical road block to quality health care delivery. In a nationwide study of more than 2,700 limited English-speaking patients, researchers in the Center for Health Policy Research of UC Irvine School of Medicine found that language barriers between patients and health care providers result in longer hospital stays, more medical errors and lower patient satisfaction.

In addition, researchers found that patients who did not speak the same language as their doctors were less likely to receive lifestyle counseling in diet, exercise and smoking cessation.

“The effect of limited English-speaking patients on the health care system cannot be overstated,” advises Louis Provenzano, president and chief operating officer of Language Line Services. “The great challenge presented by a multilingual society can be met with one clear solution: a formal language access program. We need to focus on creating uniform standards for these programs, so that everyone who walks in the doors of a hospital can feel confident that they will be understood, and that they will receive the care they need.”

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 has long required those organizations who receive federal funding to provide the same level of access to services for limited English-speaking patients as they do for those who speak English.  An Executive Order (“Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency”), issued in 2000, attempted to clarify and strengthen the language access implications of Title VI, but it has left gaps in structure and enforcement.

Some 80 percent of U.S. hospitals say they frequently treat LEP patients, reports the Health Research & Educational Trust. Without specific standards or guidance, these hospitals and other facilities have responded to federal and state requirements in dramatically different ways, with some offering in-house interpreters combined with over-the-phone language interpreting services, and others offering much less patient support.  Even among those with formal interpreting services, the level of quality varies greatly.

“When it comes to communicating with patients in the hospital setting, mistakes can be costly and potentially deadly,” says Linda Joyce, a language access consultant and the former Director of Language Interpretive Services at Grady Health System in Atlanta.

“While facilities are conforming to regulatory and legal requirements, many are doing so only with a patchwork system, relying on medical staff who happen to speak another language, or turning to family members of patients to help with interpreting.”

“Developing a structured, dynamic language access program that relies on quality medical interpreters is the best way to prepare for the future, ensure compliance with federal and state regulations, and maximize patient safety and satisfaction in the delivery of quality health care,” concludes Provenzano.


About Language Line Services

Language Line Services, the global leader in telephone interpreting and total language solutions, serves clients in government, health care, telecom, financial services, insurance and many other industries by quickly connecting them to their customers, patients and sales prospects in over 170 spoken languages and American sign language.

Growth of the language interpreting industry has soared with increased immigration and government regulatory policies mandating that organizations provide services to limited English speakers in their own languages. Language Line Services is recognized as a trusted partner to thousands of clients throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, providing access to one of the industry’s fastest language interpreting service at highly competitive rates.

For more information about Language Line Services’ suite of dynamic solutions spanning telephone and video interpreting, document translation, interactive software-based translation, interpreter training and certification programs and regulatory compliance objectives, please call +1 (877) 886-3885 or visit www.languageline.com.

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Editor’s Note: Interviews are available with representatives of hospitals across the country utilizing over-the-phone medical interpreting services.