Maria Rodriguez clutched her chest in a family clinic, her face etched with pain. Although staff hurried to assist, they lacked a full-time interpreter and struggled to decode her Spanish descriptions. Suddenly, two vastly different diagnoses—cardiac event or anxiety attack—were on the table, and the stakes couldn’t have been higher.
Unfortunately, scenarios like Maria’s play out in healthcare settings every day. According to research in the Journal of Migration and Health, patients without professional interpreters are 50% less likely to receive complete and appropriate care (Laun Erfe et al., 2017), leading to a higher risk of dangerous misdiagnoses. This underscores a critical challenge: smaller facilities must still ensure effective communication with limited English proficiency (LEP) patients, even with fewer resources.
Language Access Expert
We met with Katharine Allen, Director of Language Industry Learning at Boostlingo, to talk about strategies for overcoming language barriers in healthcare. Katharine began her career in healthcare interpreting and developed a diagnostic tool for hospitals seeking language access compliance. Throughout those early years, she worked as a healthcare interpreter in rural communities, built local hospital language access programs, and has remained deeply involved in national healthcare interpreter training initiatives.
The Growing Importance of Language Access
When patients misunderstand instructions or treatment options, health outcomes deteriorate. Proper communication ensures that everyone involved makes informed decisions and fosters better overall patient satisfaction.
Katharine notes that federal law, such as the recent update to Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, requires language access—even in smaller facilities. The updated regulations require healthcare providers, including Medicare Part B, Medigap, and telehealth, to offer language support for patients with LEP, while larger providers with 15+ staff must appoint a 1557 coordinator, set procedures, handle grievances, and train staff annually. If language access seems overwhelming, our complete guide to language access can help you navigate the requirements.
Problems with Interpreters in Healthcare
We met with Katharine Allen, Director of Language Industry Learning at Boostlingo, to talk about strategies for overcoming language barriers in healthcare. Katharine began her career in healthcare interpreting and developed a diagnostic tool for hospitals seeking language access compliance. Throughout those early years, she worked as a healthcare interpreter in rural communities, built local hospital language access programs, and has remained deeply involved in national healthcare interpreter training initiatives.
Limited Resources and Staff
Many small facilities have no dedicated language access coordinator, and the responsibility often lands on someone balancing other duties. Organizations may be challenged to cover the time and knowledge required to handle language access properly.
Cost Concerns
Interpreting is frequently viewed as a cost center, not a revenue stream. While counter-intuitive, cutting costs by skipping professional translation and interpretation services will often lead to more costs via poor health outcomes and potential lawsuits.
Providers may struggle with budgeting for interpreters when reimbursement is not guaranteed or varies by state. A transparent plan clarifying expenses and showing a return on investment in patient safety and satisfaction helps build staff and leadership buy-in.
Knowledge Gaps with Bilingual Staff
“Being bilingual isn’t enough” was a key point Katharine emphasized. Many clinics still rely on ad hoc interpreters like family members or front-desk staff to interpret, unaware of the risks.
Well-intentioned staff can unintentionally misinterpret complex medical terminology, highlighting the need and legal requirements for formal training and professional language services.
Building a Core Language Access Program
Assessing Patient Demographics
Start by identifying the top languages in your service area(s) so you can pick a solution to match the demand.
Training Staff on Basics
Katharine shared that staff often don’t realize the difference between casual bilingual conversation and professional medical interpreting. While bilingual employees can provide valuable support—such as assisting with wayfinding or engaging informally at the admissions desk—these roles are distinct from medical interpreting, which requires specialized training, advanced language proficiency and knowledge of medical terminology. Having clear language access policies in place can help staff understand their appropriate roles and ensure patients receive qualified and compliant language support.
If a care team member, like the patient services rep, is bilingual, they can provide direct service. However, it’s recommended that direct patient care or more complex communications like the delivery of a tough diagnosis, are handled by a professional interpreter.
Setting Clear Policies and Procedures
Outline clear protocols for staff to follow:
- Who requests interpreters
- How to document language needs
- A process for quality monitoring
This formal structure demonstrates an organization’s commitment to compliance and patient safety. For more, read our best practices for language access programs blog.
On-Demand Interpreting
Some healthcare organizations may not have enough volume to justify on-site interpreters or simply can’t afford it. On-demand interpreting solutions quickly connect you with qualified medical interpreters over the phone or video, ensuring LEP patients never wait long for essential communication.
It’s also a more cost-effective solution. Sometimes, on-site interpreters have idle downtime or must be paid even if patients cancel. With on-demand services, you only pay for the minutes you use, making the service more budget-friendly.
How Boostlingo Fills the Language Gap
Boostlingo’s on-demand interpreting solution makes it easy to reliably overcome language barriers and provide quality care. Here are a few of the advantages:
- Average connection times of just 13 seconds.
- Interpretation in 300+ languages, including ASL and indigenous languages.
- 14,000+ trained medical interpreters, each with at least 40 hours of medical interpreter and terminology training and 3+ years of experience.
- 99.97% of requests fulfilled.
- Annual HIPPA training ensures strict patient privacy standards.
Healthcare organizations can maintain continuous language access with Boostlingo—even when on-site interpreters or bilingual staff are not immediately available.
Backup Strategies for Extraordinary Circumstances
In rare instances, even remote interpreting may face limitations, particularly with languages with a limited pool of trained interpreters. Suppose Maria spoke an indigenous Mixtec dialect with very few interpreters available nationwide. To prepare for these special cases when an interpreter is not immediately accessible, facilities should maintain a tertiary strategy:
When On-Demand Solutions Aren’t Available
Hard-to-find languages may occasionally pose challenges. Katharine advises scheduling interpreters in advance or working with specialized agencies to ensure coverage for these less-common languages.
Ad Hoc & Emergency Measures
In dire situations, family members or untrained staff might assist briefly. However, best practice means never relying on children and giving the ad-hoc interpreter ground rules—such as checking with the provider if they don’t understand what is being said and avoiding extra commentary. Always arrange a professional follow-up as soon as possible.
Technology Solutions as Stopgaps
Tools like machine translation apps can fill a gap but require a cautious approach: speak in short, jargon-free segments and confirm patient understanding. Recognize the limitations of AI, especially for rare languages, and plan to revisit important details with a qualified interpreter when one is available.
Overcoming Communication Barriers in Healthcare
On-demand interpreting is a powerful tool for breaking down language barriers and ensuring quality healthcare. Maria’s experience demonstrates that addressing language challenges improves patient outcomes and builds trust.
Partner with Boostlingo for a reliable on-demand interpreting solution, and provide excellent care to every patient, regardless of language.
Disclaimer: This information is provided for educational purposes and does not constitute legal or medical advice. Always consult your legal counsel or compliance officer to confirm your obligations under federal and state regulations.
