Calling Limited English Proficient Patients at Home
Making phone calls to patients who speak English is simple. On the other hand, you might be wondering how to call a patient at home who speaks another language.
Today, clinics and hospitals use different approaches to call their Limited English Proficient (LEP) patients. However, not all methods of contact are created equal. Really, there’s only one good way to contact LEP patients at home. It’s called interpreter conference calling and every healthcare organization needs it. Here’s why.
What usually happens when calling LEP’s at home
In many cases, healthcare staff members rely on someone else to tell LEP patients the information they need to hear. Oftentimes, this means passing off important messages to another person. In turn, another person becomes responsible for making the phone call or delivering the message directly to the LEP patient. This can be problematic, for several reasons. Below are 4 reasons providers should use interpreter conference calling to contact their LEP patients directly. Have a look 1 deposit casino nz.com.
1) HIPAA concerns
In reality, leaving a non-healthcare professional in charge of patient information could violate HIPAA laws. Especially if the patient is not a covered entity, and did not give consent for healthcare professionals to share their personal information. As soon as the healthcare professional removes himself/herself from the communication triangle, there’s no telling where a patient’s information might end up. Or worse, how it is conveyed.
2) Miscommunications
In addition to patient privacy, delegating patient information could also put a patient’s health at risk. Especially when discussing sensitive information such as medication dosages, pre / post-appointment instructions, and other important information that should come directly from a healthcare professional.
3) Equal Patient Care
Even if the patient has authorized someone to relay messages for them, we have to ask ourselves:
“Is this truly what’s best for the health and well being of the patient?”
In other words, a language barrier shouldn’t prevent a patient from getting their healthcare information like everyone else.
4) Patient Questions
Healthcare professionals get questions from patients all the time. Oftentimes, patients have different questions about their medical instructions or guidelines. They also might be curious about their medication, or they need directions, or location information.
When a healthcare professional isn’t involved in the conversation, questions may not be getting answered. Or worse, patients aren’t asking at all.
Patients need to ask important questions, and they need to get the right answers. To make this possible, providers need to be directly included in phone conversations with their patients.
The Solution: Hands Up interpreter conference calling
If you want to avoid any of the issues above, it might be worth looking into the advantages of using Hands Up interpreter conference calling. With Hands Up interpreter conference calling, providers can make phone calls to LEP patients in a convenient, HIPAA compliant manner in just seconds. Here’s how it works.
How does Hands Up interpreter conference calling work?
- First, the provider dials the Hands Up conference calling number.
- Second, the provider selects the patient’s language and in just seconds, an interpreter will connect.
- Third, the interpreter dials the LEP patient into the phone call so everyone can communicate. This approach keeps providers directly involved in the messages they give to their patients. With a way to contact LEP patients directly, providers can offer equal care to all their patients, no matter the language they use.
Want to learn more about Hands Up interpreter conference calling? Take a look at the 5 Advantages of Using Hands Up Conference Calling here.