One of the most unsuspecting industries is leading the way for a new customer service trend. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the health care industry is redefining how to serve customers, no matter what language they speak.
The reforms put forward by the ACA, also known as Obamacare, require health care providers to provide Limited English Proficient (LEP) patients with access to the information and materials they need to make informed decisions related to health care. This includes making sure payment systems, programs, and documents are properly translated, and that LEP patients have access to interpreters when they receive health care services. These requirements place the health care industry ahead of many others when it comes to reaching customers with multilingual content.
Within the Affordable Care Act, there are several provisions that deal exclusively with providing LEP patients with the linguistic access they need, specifically for written documents and oral communications.
The ACA requires that each provider supply all patients with a translated Uniform Glossary and Summary of Benefits Coverage (SBC). In regards to the SBC, the employer and the insurer are responsible for distributing these documents under fully-insured plans. For self-insured plans, the employer is the only one responsible for compiling and handing out these forms. Although it is not explicitly stated, the ACA implies that documents like appeal notices and provision of claims should also be translated to provide comprehensive health care for patients.
Standardized documents like intake forms may also be translated, and providers may benefit from adding translated taglines to the top of commonly used documents, ensuring LEP patients understand the important details of those documents. Health care providers and insurers should also plan to translate their website and digital content into the languages most commonly spoken and read by their patients.
Individuals with limited English proficiency must be granted access to bilingual staff members or interpreters at each point in the health care process, from registration at a medical facility to financial counseling. This high level of language support ensures that all patients have access to information to confidently make important medical decisions regarding their care.
With more than 6,000 distinct languages spoken around the world, it would be cost prohibitive for providers to translate documents into every language, so the ACA has created guidelines to assist providers in determining which languages they must provide to their patient communities. According to these guidelines, documents should be translated for every LEP patient group that exceeds a minimum of 1,000 people or 10 percent of the health care provider’s population in a specific county. In the situation where 10 percent of the population is less than 50 individuals, it’s not necessary to translate written documents. Instead, translation can be done orally, as needed.
The ACA guidelines also recommend adding a tagline to the top of important health care documents, translating only the headline as opposed to the entire document when cost, resources, or other limitations prevent translations of entire documents. In addition, LEP patients should be provided with a notification that language interpretation is available for free.
Some of the features of the ACA that relate to interpretation and translation include:
Although adhering to the multilingual language requirements of the Affordable Care Act may be complex, they ensure that the majority of patients understand their care options and have access to quality care. This improved understanding may help to reduce longer term costs of care, helping to offset the investment providers will need to make in the short run. It’s also important to note that smaller insurance plans and areas with limited LEP populations will be exempt from some of these provisions. An early step for many providers may be to begin working with translation agency or language service provider to identify the right languages and assemble the resources for translation.
For more information about translating digital health care content including websites and mobile apps, reach out to a team member from Transifex and request a quick 30 minute demo. Transifex is a localization automation platform that enables health care providers to raise their standard of care by connecting patients with the information they need to make informed medical decisions.