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Health Care Interpreters: What is Required of Physicians and Other Health Care Organizations
Under the law, health care providers need to notify LEP patients regarding their right to language assistance services when needed. Health care providers have a responsibility to ensure that their policies and procedures do not deny their patients access to health care services because of a language barrier. The key to providing access to health care services for LEP persons is to ensure that the language assistance provided results in accurate and effective communication between the provider and the LEP patient.
The federal Office for Civil Rights recommends doing the following to ensure compliance with the law:
- Assess the language needs of the patient populations;
- Develop a written policy regarding language access that will ensure meaningful communication;
- Train staff members so they understand the policy and are capable of carrying it out; and
- Monitor to ensure LEP patients have meaningful access to health care.
Failure to implement one or more of these procedures does not necessarily mean noncompliance with Title VI. In case of a complaint or an investigation, the Office for Civil Rights will review the circumstances involved and determine compliance on a case-by-case basis. The assessment will take into account a number of factors, including the size of the organization, the size of the LEP population, the nature of the services provided, the resources available, the frequency of different languages encountered, and the frequency with which LEP persons come into contact with the services.
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Overview
The law
- OAR 333-002
Who is covered
Ensuring access
Provider's role
Interpreter services
Standards & policies
Oregon council
Contact us
971-673-1286
Office of Multicultural Health
800 NE Oregon |
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