"The New Joint Commission Standards for Patient-Centered Care", co-authored by two former hospital administrators with nearly 60 years of combined language-access expertise, calls attention to the lack of compliance with language access requirements for limited English proficient patients, as new regulations by The Joint Commission enter a year-long pilot phase this year.

Download your free, 12-page report here. No email address or registration required.

The report details the challenges ahead as healthcare organizations struggle to provide necessary language access services and integrate these new and revised standards into their day-to-day operations.

Below is the Executive Summary of "The New Joint Commission Standards for Patient-Centered Care"

"The number of patients with limited-English proficiency seeking treatment from U.S. healthcare institutions is rapidly on the rise.

"Hospitals and other healthcare facilities are already struggling to ensure that these patients receive the same standard of care as those who speak English.

"Now, new Joint Commission standards that have been implemented in 2011 as part of a pilot phase to prepare the field, will require healthcare organizations to provide all patients, regardless of language, patient-centered communication.

"Beginning no earlier than January 2012 organizations that fail to comply may risk jeopardizing their accreditation.

"This paper discusses the challenges ahead as healthcare organizations struggle to provide necessary language access services and integrate these new standards into their day-to-day operations."

In addition to this new report, see the next article about a continuing series of "compliance tips" from the report's two authors.

Once again, download your free, 12-page report here. No registration required.

News! This is the first of 12 monthly articles to appear in Healthcare Finance News. Each will address a different aspect of The Joint Commission's new standards taking effect January 2012.

This first installment is co-authored by the same veteran language access experts and hospital administrators mentioned in the previous article, Oscar Arocha and Deborah Moore.

"When the Joint Commission's new standards for hospital accreditation based on language access take full effect a year from now, many hospitals might not make the cut and could lose critical funding.

"That's because to qualify for public funds, Medicaid, Medicare and other government-financed programs, healthcare organizations must comply with federal and state regulations that mandate the provision of language services.

"Until now, the regulations have often been loosely followed, leading the Joint Commission to implement, new, more formalized standards. A year-long pilot started in January 2011, and full implementation is scheduled for January 1, 2012.

"The Joint Commission is an independent, non-profit organization that surveys and accredits hospitals and other healthcare institutions across the country via unscheduled accreditation surveys.

"A crucial first step in meeting the new standards and providing safe, quality patient-centered care is identifying the patient's "preferred language" for discussing his/her healthcare needs.

Read the rest of this first post in a multi-part HFN series about the new Joint Commission standards on language access requirements.

Deborah Yvette Moore, TAPS consultant, is a former manager of Parkland Health and Hospital System and Oscar Arocha, is a Senior Executive, Global Strategic Initiatives at Language Line Services. Download their free, 12-page report, "The New Joint Commission Standards for Patient-Centered Care" here.

The Stanford School of Medicine, Geriatric Education Center in conjunction with American Geriatrics Society, California Area Health Education Centers, & Natividad Medical Center, is offering a series of online, computer webinars throughout the year.

Regrettably, the first of the series took place this past week. However, that first webinar will very likely be replayed on Stanford's website at a later date.

All webinars will be 12:30-2:00 Pacific time unless otherwise indicated.

Who is this webinar series for?

This series features issues in clinical ethnogeriatrics and is targeted especially to primary care providers working with elders and their families from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Other health and social service providers interested in the topics are also welcome to attend.

What technology do you need to participate in the series? All you need is a computer - PC or Mac - with access to the Internet and speakers or headphones to hear the presenters.

Cost Per Class:

• Standard Registration (without continuing education credit): FREE, No Cost
• CEU Registration (includes 1.5 CEU credit per class): $25 for each webinar
• CME Registration (includes 1.5 CME credit per class): $25 for each webinar

Initial Schedule:

• February 24: Introduction to Clinical Ethnogeriatrics (should be recast on Stanford's site)
• March 3: Diabetes
• April 14: Depression and Mental Health
• May 26: Fall Prevention
• June 23 - NOTE: DIFFERENT TIME 12:00-2:30PM: Emergency Preparedness and Elder Care
• July 21: Health Literacy & Health Disparities

For more information, and registration, go to http://sgec.stanford.edu/events.html

Massachusetts: Budget Cuts Threaten Programs for Deaf

The Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing is the primary agency in the state providing an umbrella of services for all ages of people who are deaf and hard of hearing. The commission is once again facing another round of cuts from its budget of $5.3 million. The budget proposed for the next fiscal year is $4.8 million. The end result will be fewer interpreters, caseworkers and resources for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Read the rest of this article from "The Republican" here >>

When you have a question, concern, compliment, or any type of feedback at all, we want to hear from you.

Whether you wish to report a technical issue, comment on an interpreter, or pass along a commendation for someone who did an outstanding job serving you and your limited-English speaking customer, the Voice of the Customer" (VOC) process is the fastest, most efficient way to reach us.

Our VOC program:

• Provides you and your staff with a speedy, efficient way to tell us how we are doing;
• Allows us to respond just as fast to your requests, questions, and suggestions; and
• Helps us resolve your issues and concerns quickly and thoroughly!

Download this VOC service info sheet >>

Everyone in your organization who uses Language Line Services' over-the-phone interpretation should know that help is just a VOC away. So please share this information with your staff and colleagues.

For more about the Voice of the Customer process,

• View this new Video Tutorial;
• Visit this page on our website; or
• Contact our Customer Care Team at 1-800-752-6096 or wecare@languageline.com

Thank You!

Selected News of the Month

• Monterey Herald: "Language Line Services CEO sees more need for interpreters" by Lane Wallace


• Report from Hospital Administrators: Few Hospitals in Compliance with New Language Access Requirements


• Federal Court Awards Language Line Services Broad-Reaching Injunction in Trade Secrets Case Against Language Service Associates

Read more Language Line Services news here >>

Language Line Services, the leader in language interpretation, is seeking to increase its interpreter team in many languages, as well as offering a wide variety of corporate openings.

Dual Role Interpreters in California

An exciting new opportunity is available to experienced medical interpreters living in or near Palo Alto, California. Interpreters will now be able to do both on-site, face-to-face interpreting as well as over-the-phone interpreting in the following languages: Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Cantonese, and American Sign Language.

Experienced on-site interpreters of Punjabi, Tagalog, Mandarin, and Arabic that reside in the Contra Costa County area of California are encouraged to apply for the position of On-site Interpreter.

As for work-at-home, over-the-phone interpreters, we have openings, especially in Spanish, and in a number of other languages including:

• Arabic
• French
• Somali
• Cantonese
• Korean
• Lithuanian
• Nepali
• Portuguese
• Russian
• Vietnamese

As well as...

• Cakchiquel
• Cape Verdean (Portuguese Creole)
• Chru
• Edo
• Garre
• Hausa
• Indonesian
• Karenni
• Kurdish
• Lingala
• Lusoga
• Malay
• Mankon
• Mixteco
• Nepali
• Papiamento
• Punu
• Susu
• Trique
• Urdu
• and several others (see our Web site)

And, finally, top Corporate opportunities include:

• Human Resources Coordinator
• Sales Executive - Federal Government
• Senior Sales Executives in Business Partnership Development, Healthcare, Government, General Markets, and Face-to-Face Interpretation
• Account Managers in Healthcare and General Markets
• Business Manager - Face-to-Face Interpretation
• Reporting Analyst - SQL Server
• Spanish Tester for Language Line University
• Customer Service Representative
• Scheduler

For non-interpreter positions, please apply at: www.languageline.com/careers. Click on "Apply Today" under "Corporate Careers" and follow the directions to add your profile.

EEO/AA Employer.

* Some positions may have been filled by the time you apply. However, new positions open up every week. Visit our Career Center here >>

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