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Language Line Offers Interpreting Services to Patients in Need

By Shamila Janakiraman
TMCnet Contributor

Adventist Health System announced that it has entered into a partnership agreement with Language Line Services to offer its 43 hospitals and clinics access to a comprehensive suite of interpreting and translation services.

This endeavor is expected to enhance services offered to limited English proficient patients and families. Adventist Health System is a nonprofit Protestant healthcare provider in the United States.

According to official sources Language Line Services will provide Adventist Health System with over-the-phone interpretation, available in more than 170 spoken languages, as well as American Sign Language or ASL. Also the company offers over-video and face-to-face interpreter services and several other solutions for healthcare providers including document translation, on-site staff training and quick reference guides.

Language Line Services specializes in telephone interpreting and language solutions. It serves clients in government, healthcare, telecom, financial services, insurance and other industries by quickly connecting them to their customers, patients and sales prospects in more than 170 spoken languages as well as American and Mexican sign language.

In a press release, Louis Provenzano, Language Line Services president and COO, said, “The comprehensive language access portfolio provided to Adventist Health System is designed to increase both patient safety and satisfaction, while ultimately reducing language support costs, as our company has done for thousands of healthcare organizations nationwide.”

“Adventist Health System may also benefit from the Customer Regulatory Readiness Program developed by Language Line Services to help hospitals ensure compliance with existing and new Joint Commission accreditation standards in January 2011,” Provenzano continued.

A report titled, “Advancing Effective Communication, Cultural Competence, and Patient and Family-Centered Care: A Roadmap for Hospitals,” was issued by the Joint Commission. It stipulates several new language requirements for hospitals in order to take care of issues like patient preferred language; the competency of individuals who provide language services; the delivery of language services; and the translation of materials and signage.

Adventist Health System supports and strengthens Seventh-day Adventist healthcare organizations in the Southern and Southwestern regions of the United States. Adventist Health System supports 43 hospitals and employs 55,000 individuals. The hospitals are equipped with 7,700 plus licensed beds and are offering health care for about four million patients every year in the categories of inpatient, outpatient and emergency room visits.