L.A. Care offers resources and tools to help you provide culturally and linguistically appropriate care to your patients,and promote health equity, while staying compliant with regulatory requirements.
Language Assistance Requirements
Following state and federal regulations, no-cost language assistance services must be provided by qualified interpreters in a timely manner that ensures effective, accurate and confidential provider-patient communications.
Please remember to:
- Post translated language assistance signage at all key points of contact such as reception area and exam rooms.
- Offer free language assistance and auxiliary services to patients with limited English proficiency and/or hearing impairment.
- Never imply, request, or require patients to provide their own interpreters.
- Discourage the use of family members, friends, and particularly minor children as interpreters, except in an emergency.
- Document patient’s preferred spoken and written languages, request or refusal of interpreting services in the medical record.
- Maintain documentation of qualified bilingual providers and office staff.
- Set the answering machine to inform patients on how to access interpreting services after-hours.
C&L Tools
L.A. Care’s providers can order the following tools through the HECLS Portal. It will be mailed to your office in about 2 weeks.
- Better Communication, Better Care: A Provider Toolkit for Serving Diverse Populations
- Interpreting Services Poster (Language Assistance Signage)
- Tri-fold Language Assistance Brochure
- Telephonic Interpreting Card
- I- Speak Cards
- Translated Health Education Materials