Update Report from the Field - November 24th 2009

Following are segments of this report from Izabel Arocha, President of the International Medical Interpreters Association (IMIA) and Louis Provenzano, President of Language Line Services (LLS) to the health care and language services industries:

"On November 7, the House of Representatives passed its version of the health care reform bill, HR 3962, the 'Affordable Health Care for America Act' which includes key provisions to promote and expand language access for Medicare's limited English proficient (LEP) population.

Specifically, the bill's study on Medicare payments for language services (Section 1221) and the related demonstration program (Section 1222) which awards grants to Medicare service providers to pay for the "provision of competent language services" to Medicare's LEP population to provide the Department of Health and Human Services' Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) with the data they need in order to begin reimbursing medical interpreters.

We were told by key congressional committee staff that CMS was hesitant to reimburse for medical interpreters until they have sufficient data on Medicare's LEP population, including detail on the various types and methods of interpreter services that are provided to beneficiaries.

The study and demo will provide CMS with such data, including an analysis of the feasibility of Medicare contracting directly with agencies that provide off-site interpretation including telephonic and video interpretation.

Read the rest of this Open Letter here >>

Medication errors are a serious safety risk for limited English speakers and those who don't read well.

Highlighted as a costly and life-threatening problem by the Institute of Medicine, and detailed in many national journals, communication barriers compromise patients' ability to understand and adhere to medication regimes.

Join Diversity Rx as their speakers describe initiatives in three states to improve communication in pharmacies, from conversations with staff to medication labels and product information.

• Nisha Agarwal, of New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, will review the legal and legislative campaign in New York state to require interpretation and translated information in pharmacy interactions.
• Doreena Wong, of the National Health Law Program, will talk about California legislation that mandates a standardized, patient-centered prescription drug label that provides medical information in a uniform, legible, and culturally-appropriate manner.
• Joana Ramos, of the Washington Coalition for Prescribing Integrity, will discuss collaboration between language access advocates and pharmacy schools and professionals to raise awareness about medication and communication barriers.

Register now by visiting: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/529247611

Resources for this webinar will be posted on our website as soon as they are available: www.diversityrxconference.org/webinar3

This is the third public webinar in the DiversityRx 'Your Voice' Series, a project sponsored by The California Endowment.

You can access their previous webinars and information about other educational activities at www.diversityRxconference.org/YourVoice.

Each issue we share an organization's website that contains continually updated, highly useful content for all who serve limited English speakers and their respective communities.

This month our favorite site is the "Migration Information Source", and we're focusing on just one quite useful page entitled: "Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States".

Chock full of information, here are just two lists of questions the page asks and answers, directed specifically to those of us whose careers involve knowing our communities, how they are changing, and how to prepare for those changes.

Demographic, Educational, and Linguistic Characteristics

• What share of all immigrants residing in the United States are women?
• How many immigrants have come to the United States since 2000?
• How many immigrants are naturalized US citizens?
• What is the racial composition of immigrants?
• How many immigrants are of Hispanic origin?
• How many Hispanics are immigrants?
• What percentage of the foreign born are limited English proficient (LEP)?
• Which languages does the US population speak?
• What percentage of the adult foreign-born population is college educated?

Children with Immigrant Parents

• How many children in the United States have immigrant parents?
• How has the number of children with immigrant parents changed?
• What are the top five states in terms of the number of children with immigrant parents?
• What are the top five states when looking at the share of children with immigrant parents in the state's total child population?
• What are the top five states in terms of the absolute growth of the number of children with immigrant parents?
• What are the top five states in terms of the percent growth of the number of children with immigrant parents between 1990 and 2000 and between 2000 and 2008?

"MigrationInformation.org" is one of those sites you want to go back to again and again. With current stats and interesting immigration, language and cultural articles, often written from the ethnic community's point of view, we at "In Other Words" think this will become one of your favorites as well.

If you know of interesting, useful websites to share with fellow "In Other Words" readers, send them to us.

If we choose your suggested website, we'll feature you and your own site in a future issue of "In Other Worlds", and you will receive the coveted Language Line Services "Linguinator", your unique slide rule tool for serving limited English speakers.

So, drop us a note at newsletter@languageline.com!

Following are excerpts from this story by Carla K. Johnson, Associated Press Medical Writer

Uninsured patients with traumatic injuries such as car crashes, falls and gunshot wounds, were almost twice as likely to die in the hospital as similarly injured patients with health insurance, according to a troubling new study.

The findings by Harvard University researchers surprised doctors and health experts who have believed emergency room care was equitable.

"This is another drop in a sea of evidence that the uninsured fare much worse in their health in the United States," said senior author Dr. Atul Gawande, a Harvard surgeon and medical journalist.

The study, appearing in the November issue of Archives of Surgery, comes as Congress is debating the expansion of health insurance coverage to millions more Americans. It could add fodder to that debate.

The researchers couldn't pin down the reasons behind the differences they found. The uninsured might experience more delays being transferred from hospital to hospital. Or they might get different care.

Or they could have more trouble communicating with doctors.

The hospitals that treat them also could have fewer resources.

"Those hospitals tend to be financially strapped, not have the same level of staffing, not have the same level of surgeons and testing and equipment," Gawande said. "That also is likely a major contributor."

Learn more here by reading the rest of this Archives of Surgery story at HealthLeadersMedia.com.

News: Certification of Medical Interpreters

WASHINGTON, Nov. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Patients in the United States with limited English proficiency (LEP) continue to face language barriers that threaten their health and undermine their well-being. But they are one step closer to equitable healthcare with the launch of the first National Certification for Medical Interpreters in October 2009.

A culmination of an over 23-year effort, this first-of-its-kind national interpreting standard certifies that those interpreting are tested and competent as "Certified Medical Interpreters" (CMIs).

The launching of a standardized certification process for medical interpreters is a crucial step towards assuring that all patients get the care they need in a language they can understand.

"It also sends a strong message that we will no longer tolerate substandard care due to miscommunication in our hospitals and health care organizations," stated Alex Green, MD, MPH, Associate Director, Disparities Solutions Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.

"Speaking as a registered nurse and as an interpreter, I believe that national certification for interpreters is a critical step in ensuring accurate communication to prevent medical errors and to improve quality of care provided to our linguistically diverse population," said Marlene Obermeyer, MA, RN, Marion, Kansas.

Read the rest of the news release from the International Medical Interpreter Association here >>

• Hear presentations on latest national lobbying updates
• Receive training on how to advocate
• Be the voice of the LEP patient in Washington, DC
• Come with us to your Senators and Representatives offices, we need you!

Attention! Providers, State Representatives, Interpreters, Associations, Trainers, Educators & other stakeholders. Register now to ensure a seat.

This year's May 1st Forum was full capacity! There is NO FEE to attend this important annual, multi-stakeholder event.

Register now!

Selected News of the Month

• Open letter from Presidents of the International Medical Interpreters Association & Language Line Services regarding HR 3962, the "Affordable Health Care for America Act"


• AT&T and Language Line Services Partner to Provide Customer Service Assistance in More Than 170 Languages


• Language Line Services' - Cross-Cultural Update for November 2009. Useful Cultural News, Tips and Timely Information

Read more Language Line Services news here >>

Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) released a public opinion survey that finds that 71 percent of Americans favor an increased investment in disease prevention and that disease prevention is one of the most popular components of health reform. Forty-four percent of Americans strongly favor investing more in prevention.

In the poll, conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research and Public Opinion Strategies, investing in disease prevention receives majority support from across the political spectrum (85 percent of Democrats, 59 percent of Republicans, and 68 percent of Independents) and across the country (72 percent in the Northeast, 73 percent in the South, 71 percent in the West, and 69 percent in the Midwest).

By nearly a three-to-one margin (70 percent to 24 percent), people think prevention will save money rather than cost money.

Sixty percent of Americans believe investing in prevention is worth it at a cost of $34 billion out of the $900 billion total proposed health reform spending proposals.

Sixty-five percent of Americans say they would either be more likely to support a member of Congress who votes for the proposal to invest in prevention or that it would make no difference to their vote.

Nearly two-thirds of Americans rank investing in prevention between an eight and 10 on a scale of zero to ten, where zero means not at all an important health care priority and 10 means very important.

Prevention is the second highest proposal tested, after prohibiting insurance companies from denying coverage because of age, medical history, or pre-existing conditions.

Read the rest of this article here >>

View the complete survey here (PDF) >>

Also see:

• The Compendium of Proven Community-Based Prevention Programs
• Keeping America's Food Safe
• Blueprint for a Healthier America</li>

Language Line Services, the leader in language interpretation, is seeking to increase its interpreter team in many languages.

Among other positions, we are now hiring experienced, professional face-to-face medical interpreters!

Our experienced, on-site medical interpreters provide consecutive interpretation, have educated native fluency in two languages and are highly skilled in the cultural dynamics of the languages they interpret.

If you have native fluency in English and another language, at least one year of medical interpreting experience, are trained and/or certified as a medical interpreter and have excellent customer service skills, then apply online at www.LanguageLine.com/careers.

Are you interested in becoming an over-the-phone interpreter?

If you have excellent proficiency in English, with strong listening and comprehension skills as well as good customer service skills, you can become an interpreter for Language Line Services.

Visit www.languageline.com/careers.

View the "How to Become an Interpreter" Video.

Then, click on "Apply Today" under "interpreter Careers" OR "Corporate Careers" and follow the directions.

Here's what one valued client recently said about one of Language Line Services' excellent interpreters:

"...interpreter #6100 for Farsi was fantastic... We had a very difficult client that your interpreter made so easy for me. Thank you..."

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