The healthcare environment can be confusing to patients even on their best days. But for patients for whom English is not the first language, accessing healthcare services can be extremely difficult. On the other end, offices with no bilingual reception staff struggle to meet the needs of their non-English speaking patients.
When providers and patients do not share a common language or cultural context, everything becomes more difficult. Misunderstandings are common, diagnoses and treatments might not be accurately communicated, and follow-up instructions can be lost in the shuffle. None of it is good.
Whether an office contracts with a medical answering service or handles the phones in-house, today’s healthcare environment demands finding a way to address language and cultural barriers. The easiest and most effective solution is a bilingual reception team.
Why Interpreter Services Don’t Work
Interpreter services might be offered as a solution to a medical office struggling with language and cultural barriers. Unfortunately, such services do not work well in medical settings. Why? Consider the following two things:
1. Medical Knowledge
Medical reception staff must possess at least a fundamental understanding of the healthcare system. They must understand basic medical terminology, medical procedures, etc. And they must be able to communicate with patients while leaning on the knowledge they possess.
Interpreters lack this basic knowledge unless they are specifically trained in healthcare. Acting as mediators between office staff and patients without the same knowledge can lead to miscommunication. It can create misunderstandings simply because the interpreter doesn’t possess the same body of knowledge as the receptionist.
2. Formal Training
Medical reception staff are also formally trained in the rules and regulations pertaining to their jobs. For example, they have certain responsibilities under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Without that same training, interpreter services are prone to making mistakes with sensitive patient information. Misuse of information could be detrimental to the patient, provider, and interpreter.
The Bilingual Answering Service
Given that interpretive services are not the best option for addressing language and culture barriers, do medical offices have any options other than hiring bilingual staff? Absolutely. A medical answering service with bilingual agents is the right move for some.
Generally speaking, a medical answering service can completely replace in-house reception staff from a communication standpoint. Office staff can do more important things because the answering service is handling all incoming calls.
Agents speak with callers, take and forward messages, answer basic questions, perform basic triage, make and modify appointments, and more. The answering service replicates anything in-house reception staff can do. More importantly, it is done seamlessly for an ideal patient experience.
The Benefits of Bilingual Agents
Take the general benefits of a medical answering service and add to them the extra benefits that come with bilingual agents. A fully trained and bilingual agent understands the language and culture of their callers. But they also possesses the training, knowledge, and skills medical receptionists must have. It is the best of both worlds in a single package.
Bilingual agents understand the vocabulary. They understand the vernacular (common language) callers speak. Most of all, they understand the cultural influences that dictate how people speak. With their knowledge of both language and culture, they can be accurate mediators between providers and foreign-language callers.
Is your office struggling with language and cultural barriers? You could hire bilingual reception staff to help improve things. Or you could bring in a medical answering service with bilingual capabilities. We know which option we prefer. A bilingual answering service represents a comprehensive solution to language and cultural barriers.
