Michael Greenbaum CEO, CyraCom Improving Access to and the Quality of Health Care: What the Private...

Michael GreenbaumCEO, CyraCom

Improving Access to and the Quality of Health Care:

What the Private Sector Offers

Introduction

“Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.”

Attributed to Mark Twain

Introduction

Key role of the private sector Assist with breadth of language services Benefits include:

- Increased patient safety

- Cost avoidance

- Operational efficiency

Contract interpreters On demand telephonic interpretation Language services program assessments Interpreter assessments Document translation

Private Sector Offerings

Technological innovations

- Phone infrastructure

- Reporting tools and integration into institutions’ management systems

- Responsiveness to varying functional needs

Private Sector Offerings

Benefits of Increased Interpreter Availability

Increased availability leads to patient safety by providing access to language services

Benefits of Increased Interpreter Availability

- Increased number of languages- Decreased wait time to engage

interpreter

Cost Benefits

Maximize usage of interpretation resources When interpretation resources not available

providers may resort to other means that each have a cost:

- Dual-role bilingual employees (“dual role”)

- Bilingual family members

- “Pantomime” interpretation Lack of interpretation services leads to increased

admission rates, IV interventions and testing costs

Operational Efficiencies

Telephonic and contract interpreters

- Increase speed to engage interpreter

- Increase number of languages available on demand

Assessments that test medical interpretation skills

- Ensure rapid and accurate interpretation Reporting by department and language

- Manage best mix of interpretation resource

Impact on the Bottom Line

Using telephonic interpretation minimizes: Out of pocket cost for contractors Labor cost for staff interpreters Burdened staff cost of dedicated interpreters Opportunity costs for space and staff

Solutions Provided by Private Sector

Trained interpreters Telephone hardware Software logic Web-based reporting tools

Michael GreenbaumCEO, CyraCom

Improving Access to and the Quality of Health Care:

What the Private Sector Offers