Comments on: Why doctors skip medical interpreters, and how that damages physician-patient communication http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2009/04/why-doctors-skip-medical-interpreters.html medical blog Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:59:44 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Anonymous http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2009/04/why-doctors-skip-medical-interpreters.html/comment-page-1#comment-91153 Anonymous Mon, 04 May 2009 17:07:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2009/04/why-doctors-skip-medical-interpreters-and-how-that-damages-physician-patient-communication.html#comment-91153 We have requirements that the physician provide translation for any language. Just looked at my Medicaid list, and my Spanish-speakers are outnumbered by Russian speakers, Ukranian speakers, and a sprinkling of Bengali, Hindi, I don't know. Oh and Vietnamese.<br /><br />The requirements are codified into law and/or regulation, and there have been stiff penalties for failure to provide the interpreter, even when the physician felt communication was adequate, and one case in Oregon where the translator requirement was for a family member, not even the patient. The court decided to push the envelope.<br /><br />Is there any other country on the planet with such regulations? If I end up in a Russian hospital or a Ukranian hospital, or French, English, etc......would I be able to demand a translator under penalty of law? Of course, English is usually fairly easy, someone around usually speaks well enough and I know I'd be happy.<br /><br />How about if my aunt from Brazil, speaking only Portuguese, ends up at that same Ukranian hospital? Can I insist on a Portuguese tranlator?<br /><br />It would probably end up like the scene from "I love Lucy"<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OACIfwkg7ns We have requirements that the physician provide translation for any language. Just looked at my Medicaid list, and my Spanish-speakers are outnumbered by Russian speakers, Ukranian speakers, and a sprinkling of Bengali, Hindi, I don’t know. Oh and Vietnamese.

The requirements are codified into law and/or regulation, and there have been stiff penalties for failure to provide the interpreter, even when the physician felt communication was adequate, and one case in Oregon where the translator requirement was for a family member, not even the patient. The court decided to push the envelope.

Is there any other country on the planet with such regulations? If I end up in a Russian hospital or a Ukranian hospital, or French, English, etc……would I be able to demand a translator under penalty of law? Of course, English is usually fairly easy, someone around usually speaks well enough and I know I’d be happy.

How about if my aunt from Brazil, speaking only Portuguese, ends up at that same Ukranian hospital? Can I insist on a Portuguese tranlator?

It would probably end up like the scene from “I love Lucy”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OACIfwkg7ns

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2009/04/why-doctors-skip-medical-interpreters.html/comment-page-1#comment-91110 Anonymous Sat, 02 May 2009 00:23:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2009/04/why-doctors-skip-medical-interpreters-and-how-that-damages-physician-patient-communication.html#comment-91110 I had guy who couldn't speak English--been in the country 25 years--come in and tried to do the right thing and schedule an interpreter. 3 times in a row he and I were sitting there, but the interpreter, who had been booked through an agency did not show up. So I referred him to a Spanish speaking physician. Hasn't been a problem since as I just happen to not have had any non-English speaking patient. I haven't discriminated mind you--that would be against some unconstitutional law (and therefore illegal) law--but somehow they always happen to book with someone else. I had guy who couldn’t speak English–been in the country 25 years–come in and tried to do the right thing and schedule an interpreter. 3 times in a row he and I were sitting there, but the interpreter, who had been booked through an agency did not show up. So I referred him to a Spanish speaking physician. Hasn’t been a problem since as I just happen to not have had any non-English speaking patient. I haven’t discriminated mind you–that would be against some unconstitutional law (and therefore illegal) law–but somehow they always happen to book with someone else.

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2009/04/why-doctors-skip-medical-interpreters.html/comment-page-1#comment-91108 Anonymous Fri, 01 May 2009 20:07:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2009/04/why-doctors-skip-medical-interpreters-and-how-that-damages-physician-patient-communication.html#comment-91108 i'll use an interpreter all the time if the patient pays for it i’ll use an interpreter all the time if the patient pays for it

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2009/04/why-doctors-skip-medical-interpreters.html/comment-page-1#comment-91103 Anonymous Fri, 01 May 2009 13:43:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2009/04/why-doctors-skip-medical-interpreters-and-how-that-damages-physician-patient-communication.html#comment-91103 The language translator requirement is legislative and legal abuse on the medical community, plain and simple. There is no natural or legislated right to refuse to learn English in the U.S., nor is the failure to learn the language, absent a true disability, considered a disability in and of itself and deserving of accommodations under the ADA (itself another issue of an unfunded government mandate.) I can see where the U.S. English supporters find their adherents, from the people who are fed up with the government mandating requirements upon those who provide services for the benefit of those too uninterested in making even the most basic accommodation to living in this country. The language translator requirement is legislative and legal abuse on the medical community, plain and simple. There is no natural or legislated right to refuse to learn English in the U.S., nor is the failure to learn the language, absent a true disability, considered a disability in and of itself and deserving of accommodations under the ADA (itself another issue of an unfunded government mandate.) I can see where the U.S. English supporters find their adherents, from the people who are fed up with the government mandating requirements upon those who provide services for the benefit of those too uninterested in making even the most basic accommodation to living in this country.

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2009/04/why-doctors-skip-medical-interpreters.html/comment-page-1#comment-91100 Anonymous Fri, 01 May 2009 03:12:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2009/04/why-doctors-skip-medical-interpreters-and-how-that-damages-physician-patient-communication.html#comment-91100 agreed. There is (or should be) some personal responsiblity on the part of the patient. agreed. There is (or should be) some personal responsiblity on the part of the patient.

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2009/04/why-doctors-skip-medical-interpreters.html/comment-page-1#comment-91090 Anonymous Thu, 30 Apr 2009 14:29:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2009/04/why-doctors-skip-medical-interpreters-and-how-that-damages-physician-patient-communication.html#comment-91090 Where, exactly, does patient resposibility factor in to this? If I am in a foreign country and cannot speak the local language, is it not my responsibility to find someone that can help translate? I can understand it in an emergency (sometimes), but not in routine office visits or, as in the article, post liver transplant. Really? A person lives here and cannot speak English, and cannot find someone in the community to help them understand about a liver transplant?<br /> So it becomes the reponsibility of the hospital and physicians, in an environment of declining reimbursement, and enforced by the legal community, to provide the service. So where does it end? Guess I better learn Mixtec, because ATT translator services only has one interpeter. No wonder the healthcare system is in so much trouble. Where, exactly, does patient resposibility factor in to this? If I am in a foreign country and cannot speak the local language, is it not my responsibility to find someone that can help translate? I can understand it in an emergency (sometimes), but not in routine office visits or, as in the article, post liver transplant. Really? A person lives here and cannot speak English, and cannot find someone in the community to help them understand about a liver transplant?
So it becomes the reponsibility of the hospital and physicians, in an environment of declining reimbursement, and enforced by the legal community, to provide the service. So where does it end? Guess I better learn Mixtec, because ATT translator services only has one interpeter. No wonder the healthcare system is in so much trouble.

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