As posted on Healthcare Finance News
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MONTEREY, CA – Language Line Services, the leading provider of language-based solutions and the number one provider of over-the-phone interpreting services for the healthcare industry, announced a program of support, instructional materials and consultations to help ensure compliance for hospitals as they gear up for the new Joint Commission accreditation standards taking effect in January 2011.
“The Commission’s new standards reflect the needs of an increasingly diverse U.S. population. Over 60 million people – about one in five U.S. residents – speak a language other than English at home,” noted Louis Provenzano, president and COO of Language Line Services. “This presents an enormous challenge for the healthcare industry where $73 billion a year is lost due to poor communication according to the Institute for Healthcare Advancement.”
The Joint Commission has issued a report titled “Advancing Effective Communication, Cultural Competence, and Patient and Family-Centered Care: A Roadmap for Hospitals.” Language Line Services will offer its “Customer Regulatory Readiness Program – Support for The Joint Commission Requirements for Language Access,” much of which is free, to help its more than 12,000 healthcare customers navigate the Roadmap to improve patient safety outcomes throughout healthcare systems, teaching facilities, integrated delivery networks (IDNs) and rural facilities. Language Lines Services fields more than 100,000 interpretation calls daily from healthcare providers, led by 41 of the top 50 U.S. healthcare organizations and 16 of the top 20 health services providers.
