Who Will Pay for My Medical Interpreter?
By Melia Yanat, Lingolet Team
Hospitals are required by law to provide professional interpreters to patients.
Hospitals are subject to several laws, including the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VI, which states, "No person in the United States shall, based on race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation, denied benefits, or be subjected to discrimination in connection with any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance."
This means if someone needs an interpreter, the hospital must provide one.
Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) imposes the same requirements. It applies to all health care organizations and organizations that receive federal grants.
A Medical Interpreter Is Expensive. Who Pays for This?
The U.S. government funds 50% of the language costs for a federal health care facility. Thanks to the laws mentioned above, hospitals must provide interpreters.
Federal subsidies to hospitals are also measured on the patient satisfaction scores and readmission rates. When patients get interpretation, their satisfaction scores are higher.
Investing in strong interpretation services helps the hospital to provide better service.
How to Find a Medical Translator?
On your phone:
1. Download Lingolet Hybrid on the Google Play Store or Apple App Store
2. Create your account with your phone number or email
3. Log in to your account
4. Select the language pairs amongst 200+ languages
5. Select audio or video
6. Call the interpreter
On your web browser:
1. Access https://www.lingolet.io/#/register
2. Create your account with your phone number or email
3. Log in to your account
4. Select the human interpreter tab in the left menu
4. Select the language pairs amongst 200+ languages
5. Select audio or video
6. Call the interpreter
Are you looking for a comprehensive enterprise solution?
Lingolet guarantees you a medical interpreter in less than 30 seconds in more than 180 languages.
Learn more about medical translation:
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Are translators and interpreters the same thing?
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Why must hospitals have translators available?
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How accurate is Google Translate?