Blogs

It’s no secret that speaking your patient’s language goes a long way toward reducing the risk for error in healthcare. Language access is an absolutely critical aspect of making sure that patients with limited English proficiency get the care that they need — interpreters allow doctors and patients to understand one another, minimizing the chances of a misdiagnosis due to gaps in understanding, while translated documents allow patients to stay informed about their condition.  Another, less widely discussed benefit of language access services in the healthcare system is that language access builds trust between the patient and their care team. The relationship between language and trust is strong — when you communicate with somebody in their preferred language, they are more likely to feel comfortable and trusting of your services. By fostering a sense of transparency in communications between the patient and their care team, language access allows the patient to feel more confident in their interactions with their doctor. Enhanced patient trust, in turn, empowers patients to ask questions and be better advocates for themselves, ultimately improving their health outcomes. Research has shown that when patients receive language concordant care — that is, healthcare services provided by staff who speak the same language as them — they are significantly more likely to trust their healthcare providers than patients who receive services through ad hoc interpreters. This is particularly important when we consider the fact that members of marginalized communities — such as immigrants and people with LEP — are less likely to trust healthcare providers. While it may not always be possible to provide 100% language concordant care, the strong relationship between language and trust is evident. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at how you can enhance your language access services to build patient trust. Here are five simple ways that you can employ language access services to build patient trust in your practice. As we’ve mentioned previously, language concordant care can go a long way toward building patient trust. Emphasizing multilingualism and multiculturalism in your hiring practices allows you to offer such care. Language concordant care doesn’t simply mean asking bilingual staff to act as impromptu interpreters (which, on the whole, is not recommended). Instead, it means hiring caretakers who are deeply proficient in a given language, who are capable of performing the duties of a doctor, nurse, or other care provider in the preferred language of the patient. This goes a long way toward building patient trust. Having access to a trained medical interpreter ensures that patients are able to understand their care team in real time. Medical interpreters are specialized professionals who are deeply familiar with the language used in a medical setting and make communication between care providers and patients with LEP much smoother and more transparent. Make sure to have multiple different modes of interpreting available so that you can suit the patient’s preference and needs — in-person, video, or over-the-phone.  By having commonly used forms — such as consent forms, discharge instructions, and informational brochures — available in multiple languages, you remove communication barriers that can delay care or lead to misunderstandings. This is a proactive approach that makes sure patients are well-informed, ultimately enhancing patient trust in their care team. Regularly updating these documents to reflect the linguistic needs of your patient population also demonstrates a commitment to cultural sensitivity and inclusive care. Multilingual phone trees make it easier for patients to schedule appointments, ask questions, or access services without confusion. Allowing patients to access your phone system in multiple languages not only reduces frustration, but also signals to patients that their needs are a priority from the very first interaction. For pre-recorded content such as automated voicemails, it’s a good idea to leave bilingual messages in both English and Spanish. Additionally, you’ll also want to make sure to keep note of a patient’s preferred language so that you can have pre-written or recorded appointment confirmations sent to them via text or phone call in their language. By providing clear and accessible phone options, you build a sense of trust and inclusion, reinforcing the notion that all patients, regardless of their linguistic background, are valued and supported. To build patient trust, you need to make sure that your patient-facing staff are adequately trained to interact with patients who come from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Organization-wide training sessions on cultural and linguistic appropriateness are a good way to teach your staff how to engage patients from different backgrounds. While you likely won’t be able to assign an Algerian Arabic-speaking patient with LEP to a care team composed entirely of doctors and nurses from the same cultural and linguistic background, it’s important that staff from different backgrounds are able to interact with them respectfully. Hosting regular training on topics related to cultural and linguistic sensitivity ensures that your staff are aware of best practices for building trust with LEP patients. Building patient trust isn’t easy — especially if you’re not able to communicate with patients in a transparent and easily understandable fashion. It can be even harder to build trust with communities that have historically faced marginalization, such as immigrants and people with LEP. So when it comes to caring for LEP patients, language access goes a long way toward improving your patients’ trust in your services. Here are a few simple ways that language access can boost trust between you and your patients: If you’re looking for ways to build trust with your patients, Avantpage has you covered. From interpreting and translation services to evaluating the language skills of your multilingual staff, we offer several language services that are sure to boost patient trust. Contact us today at [email protected] or (530) 750-2040 to learn more.

During patient handoffs—that is, the process of transferring a patient from one caretaker or team to another in a healthcare setting—it’s hard to overstate the importance of clear, effective communication.  Patient handoffs are a key part of the medical process, typically occurring at the beginning or end of a care team’s shift, when a patient moves to another location, or, in telehealth settings, when a patient is transferred by phone or video call. Thorough and detailed communication during these handoffs ensures continuity of care, minimizing the risk of serious errors when shifting from one caretaker to the next. When it comes to patients with limited English proficiency (LEP), there’s a high risk of communication errors. Miscommunication during patient handoffs can disrupt the continuity of a patient’s care, potentially leading to minor or major errors in their care. When working with patients who have LEP, it’s absolutely imperative to bridge any linguistic gaps between the care teams and the patient, so that no information is lost during the patient handoff. Medical interpreters play an important role in any efforts to improve patient handoffs for patients with LEP. In this blog post, we’ll go over some common communication errors that come up during handoffs of LEP patients, and ways that interpreters and other language assistance services can help you improve patient handoffs within your organization. Linguistic gaps during patient handoffs can prevent one care team from adequately informing the next, leading to an incomplete transfer of information. For example, one care team may fail to accurately convey information about the patient’s treatment plan and care preferences due to the language barrier between them and the patient. In particularly grave circumstances, this missing information can delay the new care team’s response to changes in the patient’s condition, breaking the continuity in their care. To improve patient handoffs and mitigate the risk of this kind of error, interpreters can play a critical role. Interpreters serve as a linguistic bridge between doctors, nurses and the patient, ensuring that each party fully understands what is being discussed during the handoff—the presence of an interpreter empowers the patient to speak up and self-advocate if they perceive miscommunication between the two care teams during the handoff. During a patient handoff, caretakers typically give the patient information about their medication, follow-up appointments, and self-care procedures. It can be especially difficult for LEP patients to understand and properly interpret these instructions without the aid of an interpreter—depending on their level of English, they may not understand any of the instructions at all, or they may miss crucial details and follow the instructions inadequately. It’s important to make sure that the patient fully understands this information, or else it could lead to nonadherence of these important instructions. At best, this misinterpretation will be swiftly corrected by the following care team; at worst, improperly following the care team’s instructions could lead the patient’s condition to worsen. Having an interpreter available around the clock is one way to remedy this error—an interpreter allows care teams to rest easy knowing that their LEP patients fully understand the instructions they’ve been given. The interpreter can also play a more active role in these settings to make sure the patient fully understands these instructions before the handoff is finished. And by having somebody available on-call in between rounds, you ensure that somebody is available to interpret during emergencies and other unplanned instances, preventing any delays to the patient’s care. Clear communication during patient handoffs is essential to uphold legal and ethical standards in healthcare. Miscommunication with LEP patients can compromise a patient’s informed consent and lead to misunderstandings about treatment plans. Failure to ensure that LEP patients fully understand their care can not only result in medical errors and adverse health outcomes, but also legal repercussions, as patients have a legal right to culturally competent language services. Because miscommunication can have such serious impacts on a patient’s health outcome, healthcare providers have an ethical obligation to bridge linguistic gaps between them and their patients. Proper use of interpreters and language services can mitigate these risks, ensuring compliance with legal and ethical responsibilities. Language isn’t the only important factor when dealing with patients who have LEP—cultural differences must also be accounted for. A French-speaking patient with LEP from Haiti, for example, is likely to have different cultural nuances than a French speaker from Canada. As a result, it’s important to be aware of certain cultural sensitivities—a handoff that violates the patient’s cultural norms and beliefs may diminish the patient’s trust in their healthcare providers. In turn, this can have a negative impact on the relationship between the patient and the next care team, potentially leading to adverse outcomes. To improve cultural sensitivity in patient handoffs, consider working with an interpreter from a similar background as the patient if possible—in the example above, a French interpreter from Haiti, or with deep knowledge of Haitian culture, may be more well-suited to interpret than a French interpreter from France. Additionally, holding cultural sensitivity training sessions for your doctors, nurses, and other patient-facing employees can go a long way toward improving your patient handoffs with LEP patients. Accurate documentation during patient handoffs is vital for maintaining continuity of care. Linguistic gaps and miscommunication between doctors and patients can lead to incomplete or incorrect recording of the patient’s current status, treatment plans, and care needs. These inaccuracies can hinder subsequent healthcare providers from delivering appropriate care, increasing the risk of medical errors and adverse events. Working with an interpreter ensures that the care team understands and correctly documents all of the relevant information. This enables all parties involved in the patient handoff to communicate clearly and maintain precise records. Interpreters can play an important role in your efforts to improve patient handoffs for individuals with LEP. Several communication errors may arise when caring for patients with LEP—here’s how interpreters can help fix each one: At Avantpage, we provide medical interpreting services in more than 150 different languages—our medical interpreters are highly skilled in bridging linguistic gaps during patient handoffs and other critical healthcare processes. To learn more about our services, contact us today at (530) 750-2040 or [email protected].

As we enter the new year, there are a handful of important regulatory changes to keep in mind about Medicare and Medicaid. With these changes, the demand for language services like translation and localization is sure to rise in the field of healthcare. On a national level, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is updating the requirements for the kinds of documents and information that agencies have to translate or communicate to patients in non-English languages. In the state of California, another change is taking place to focus on enhancing care management. As of this month, all low-income residents of California between the ages of 26 and 49 will be eligible for the California Medical Assistance Program, also known as Medi-Cal, regardless of their immigration status. Previously, undocumented immigrants in this age group — despite making up a significant portion of the state’s population of undocumented immigrants — were ineligible for Medi-Cal, even though undocumented children, young adults, and adults over the age of 50 were able to receive it. This means roughly 1.5 million people could now be eligible for Medi-Cal — it also means that healthcare providers in California need to be more prepared than ever to offer high-quality language access services. The majority of unauthorized immigrants in the United States have limited English proficiency (LEP), meaning that providers must be ready to serve them in their language. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at the recent changes to government health insurance programs — with a particular emphasis on the changes to Medi-Cal here in California. We’ll also explain how healthcare providers can ensure their services are accessible to individuals with LEP.
As of January 1, a handful policy changes have taken place for government health insurance plans, two of which will have an impact on the demand for language services in the healthcare sector. On a nationwide level, the CMS introduced a policy change that more explicitly requires Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D programs to provide more accessible standardized communications in non-English languages. More specifically, plan providers must keep translations of required materials in any language spoken by 5% or more of the population of a plan’s service area. These materials must also be available in an accessible format such as braille, large print, or audio upon request. This change will require MA providers to seek out language and accessibility services in order to accommodate the new translation requirement, meant to enhance care for patients with LEP. Healthcare providers in California are also likely to see increased demand for translation, localization, and interpretation, as a huge swath of the state’s undocumented immigrant population has just become eligible for the state’s Medicaid program, Medi-Cal. While low-income unauthorized immigrants below the age of 26 and above the age of 50 have been eligible to receive insurance through Medi-Cal for a while now, those from 26 to 49 have not. This means that a huge population of unauthorized immigrants will now be eligible to receive free or low-cost health insurance, making healthcare far more affordable for them. However, it’s important to keep in mind that many of these immigrants have LEP, meaning that hospitals, clinics, and health plan communications need to be ready to offer interpreting and translation to these new patients.  It also means that Medi-Cal providers need to be proactive about communicating plan eligibility to people with LEP, as many of these individuals may not be aware that they’re suddenly eligible to receive health insurance through Medi-Cal. Although more people will be eligible for these services, it’s important to note that trust and outreach will be a major barrier in actually providing healthcare to newly eligible immigrants. Providers must use a diverse range of platforms — from print marketing campaigns to social media posts in multiple languages — to ensure that prospective patients are getting the information they need about Medi-Cal.
With the number of people eligible for Medi-Cal increasing significantly, California-based providers need to be ready for an increased demand for healthcare services. Expect to see more patients accessing your services in non-English languages, and adapt accordingly — that might mean translating more materials, working with a language service provider to contract more interpreters, even hiring more multilingual staff, or a combination of ways. Here’s how some Avantpage clients are working to adjust to the new policy changes and ensure that they’re able to meet the needs of linguistically diverse communities, enhancing care overall.
As the landscape of healthcare access undergoes significant changes in California, healthcare providers must prepare for an increased demand for language services. Conducting an inventory of available language resources, including translation materials, multilingual staff, and interpretation services, will help providers identify potential gaps. By understanding the linguistic diversity of their patient population, healthcare organizations can strategically allocate resources to address the specific needs that arise from the expanded eligibility criteria.
The first quarter of the year is a critical period for healthcare providers to closely monitor usage trends and adapt their language services accordingly. By analyzing data related to language preferences, service utilization, and patient demographics during this initial phase of policy changes, providers can gain valuable insights into the evolving needs of their patient population. For institutions with historical data on language service utilization, comparing Q1 trends with previous periods can offer a baseline for understanding the impact of policy changes. If you don’t have much data to compare Q1 with, think of this period as a sort of benchmark you can use to align your resources with emerging patterns. It’s also a good idea to get patient feedback on your language services to see where you might need to improve.
Understanding various options for cost reduction can help organizations optimize their language service delivery without compromising quality. Traditional translation memory systems can be leveraged to streamline the translation process and enhance cost savings. By reusing previously translated content, providers can reduce the time and resources required for repetitive translations. Open communication with your language service provider is crucial during this phase. Providers should engage with their account managers to explore innovative solutions, whether it involves adopting new technologies, optimizing savings, or finding alternative cost-efficient approaches. With policy changes taking place this year, there’s a lot for healthcare providers to do — but making these changes means you’ll be better suited to serve communities that have historically been underserved by the medical establishment. If you’re a California-based healthcare provider, here are some recommendations as we begin the new year: At Avantpage, we’ve helped innumerable healthcare providers serve patients with LEP. If you’re looking for help navigating increased demand for language services, Avantpage is here for you: We offer translation, interpreting, and localization services. Contact us today at (530) 750-2040 or [email protected] to learn more.

Every year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) release a series of star ratings that patients can use to evaluate the quality of the services that a Medicare Advantage health plan offers.  As a health insurance provider, it’s important to make sure your CMS star rating is in tip top condition. CMS star ratings help patients identify high-quality Medicare health plans, with a five-star rating indicating excellence. If your rating falls below this threshold, not only will patients be less likely to select your plans, but you could face penalties and fines from the CMS.  The CMS calculates its star ratings on a scale of 1 to 5 based on the following factors:  If your CMS star ratings slip or you’re simply looking for new ways to improve your services, it might be a good idea to look into improving your language access plan. Patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) make up a significant proportion of Medicare recipients, and as such, it’s important to make sure you’re serving them effectively if you want to boost your star rating. By offering a diverse range of language access services for LEP patients, you can improve their overall experience with your organization, thereby increasing your CMS star ratings.  Although language access is not factored directly into your CMS star rankings, improving language access can help you perform better on the other measures that the CMS uses to calculate your star rankings. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at how your agency can improve its language access services and, in turn, boost your CMS star rating.  Nearly 10% of the United States’ population has LEP, meaning that they are unable to effectively understand or communicate in English. Research suggests that immigrants — particularly those with LEP — are more likely than their U.S.-born counterparts to be enrolled in Medicare services.   And given that the number of older individuals with LEP is projected to grow significantly over the course of the next 40 years (by 2060, experts predict the number of older LEP immigrants will grow to 22 million, up by 15 million from 2018), it’s important to make sure that you’re able to serve this population just as well as you’re able to serve English speakers.   Patients — regardless of the language that they speak — need to be able to understand their health status and communicate effectively with their healthcare providers and insurance agencies. By offering language access services that improve your organization’s transparency, outreach, and communication with consumers, you can contribute to improved health outcomes for the country’s growing population of individuals with LEP.  Effective CMS Marketing for Multilingual Healthcare Materials A Guide to Finding a Medicare Translation Agency Fast Print & Mail Translations for Health Plans While the CMS won’t take your language access measures into account when developing star ratings, high-quality language access is likely to improve your performance on the measures that they do factor into their star ratings.  In recent years, CMS star ratings have been on a downward trend — more and more providers are performing worse than they have in past years. And that could be because many of them aren’t well-prepared to meet the needs of their patients with LEP.   Let’s take a look at the different factors that go into your CMS star ratings, and how improving language access can help you improve your score on each.  The CMS looks at the mortality rates of patients enrolled in a specific plan when determining their star rankings — the lower your mortality rate, the higher your star rating will be. LEP appears to be a factor that can increase mortality rates — according to a report published in 2016, LEP “was associated with a 31% increased odds of mortality” among patients with sepsis, even after accounting for illness severity, comorbidities and other factors.  While it depends on the type of healthcare issue patients face, making sure they are well-informed about their plan and comfortable seeking out the treatment they need, you can lower the overall mortality rate of your plan. In the case of LEP patients, translating important medical information and offering interpretation services as needed will empower patients to make informed choices about their healthcare.   This measure looks at the rate of serious complications patients can potentially face when seeking treatment, such as surgery site infections or catheter-induced urinary tract infections. Language access may not directly impact this measure, but you should be able to effectively communicate the level of risk patients might face. Additionally, making sure interpreters are available and present either in person or remotely can ensure patients are knowledgeable about the health procedures they’re undergoing, allowing them to make decisions accordingly.  If patients frequently have to return to the hospital after surgeries or health emergencies like heart attacks and stroke, your CMS star rating will go down. Patients with LEP have been shown to have particularly high readmission rates when compared to patients who speak English.   If you’re looking to reduce readmission rates, it’s a good idea to look into whether or not your readmission rates are higher for your LEP patients. If it is, working with a language service provider to improve your language access could be a good first step to improving this measure. In 2017, researchers found that access to interpreters had a significant impact on lowering the readmission rates for patients with LEP, from 17.8% to 13.4%.  CMS star ratings also take the patient reviews into account — if patients aren’t satisfied with the care they’re receiving, it could take your rating down a notch. While it’s true that language access can be a matter of life or death in certain situations, it’s also an important way to make patients feel more comfortable, regardless of the severity of their health situation. LEP patients who have access to high-quality language access services may be more likely to report a positive patient experience, which could give your rating a well-needed boost on this measure.  The longer it takes to give patients effective care, the lower your star rating is likely to be here. And wait times tend to be much longer for patients with LEP than for English-speaking patients: A 2022 study found that folks with LEP spend an average of 31.9 minutes in the waiting room, while English speakers wait just 21.8.  On this measure, interpreters can play a particularly important role — if patients with LEP regularly have to wait for a long time to receive interpreting services, it could delay their access to effective care, ultimately hurting your star rating. Work with a language service provider to make sure interpreting services are available on standby so that you can get them access to an interpreter as soon as possible.  Your CMS star ratings are an important way for patients to understand the quality of care they’re receiving. In order to avoid penalties and fines, it’s important to aim for a five-star rating; considering the unique needs of LEP patients, language access is likely to play an important role in reaching that perfect score.  If you’re looking to improve your language access services and boost your CMS star ratings, Avantpage is here to help. We know how important language access is for LEP patients and are proud to provide specialized translation, interpreting, and localization services for healthcare providers. Contact us today at [email protected] or (530) 750-2040. 

Whether you’re calling customer service to help you set up your new computer or simply want to get in touch with a local government agency, phone systems and call centers can be tricky enough even for native English speakers to navigate. Faulty voice recognition software and confusing instructions cause frustration for many of us, but they’re even more likely to cause problems for callers with limited English proficiency (LEP). For individuals with LEP, making a simple phone call to a government agency, medical institution, or any other organization can become a daunting task if the phone system isn’t set up with their needs in mind. Many organizations provide over-the-phone interpreting services — as they should — but inadvertently set up their phone systems with critical breakdown points for LEP users. When it comes to language access over the phone, interpreting isn’t enough: Your phone system also has to be as user-friendly as possible. With open enrollment season upon us healthcare organizations and insurance agencies are bound to receive heightened demand on their phone systems and call centers. That means it’s crucial to reflect upon ways they can improve the experience they provide for callers with LEP. Here, we’ll explore some especially common barriers that LEP patients encounter when contacting call centers for various organizations.
Your phone system can make or break an individual’s experience seeking out help from your agency. Here are some common troubles that people with LEP encounter when trying to contact healthcare providers and insurance agencies over the phone — and ways that you can help improve their experience and provide them the service they expect. Complex phone trees can be a major obstacle for anyone — and particularly so for patients with LEP. While simplifying your phone tree is ideal, it’s not always feasible for every organization. Still, there are ways to reduce breakdowns even if you can’t create a simpler phone tree. If callers have to listen to and select from several menu items, it’s a good idea to have separate phone numbers for different languages, making it more efficient for individuals to reach the right department without frustration. It’s critical for organizations to have clear methods for identifying the patient’s preferred language before calling an interpreter. After all, you certainly don’t want to misidentify a caller’s language and wind up with an interpreter that doesn’t speak their language. Self-identification is one common method that phone systems utilize — i.e., have menu items that read “For English, press one” and “Para español, marque dos,” et cetera., that connect speakers to employees or interpreters who will help them out in their preferred language. Additionally, artificial intelligence tools that can automatically recognize a speaker’s language using voice recognition are slowly but surely growing to be more competent, and could one day be useful to implement in your phone systems. If a caller does get connected to somebody that doesn’t speak their language, employees should be prepared to contact an interpreter and inform them that an interpreter will be on the line shortly. This information must be conveyed clearly and quickly — individuals with LEP may not stay on the line for long if they cannot effectively communicate with the other person on the line, so letting them know that help is on the way is key. A pre-recorded message saying “Please hold for an interpreter” in the caller’s primary language should be an effective way to keep the caller on the line while you wait for an interpreter to come on the line. Additionally, some agencies opt to create phonetic guides that employees can use to read the message to callers in a handful of different languages; this way, employees can convey the message on their own, without having to actually speak the language in question. One of the most common barriers for LEP patients is the lack of proper employee training — if employees are not properly trained, communication may be inefficient and callers will quickly grow frustrated or confused and hang up. Make sure to offer comprehensive training to your employees during the onboarding process, covering topics such as how to call interpreters and how to use your organization’s phone system to connect with them effectively. It’s important to keep the caller on the line at all times. Some set-ups require an employee to disconnect the call and then call the patient back — this is far from ideal, as it can confuse the caller and, depending on how long it takes to call them back, they may not pick up the second call. Additionally, LEP patients may not even be able to give your employees their phone number, considering the language barrier that required an interpreter in the first place. Make sure that your employees can seamlessly connect with the interpreter without hanging up and calling them again — this may simply be a matter of re-training your employees or implementing a more advanced phone system. If your organization uses bilingual messaging in voicemails, it’s important to include a notice in the target language at the beginning of the message. All too often, LEP patients have to listen to a long, drawn-out message in English — unsure of whether or not it will be followed by a translation in their language — before hearing the message in their language. While bilingual messaging is certainly important, be sure to present it in a logical manner. Before starting your English message, consider including a simple opening line in the target language that reads along the lines of “This is a bilingual message,” so callers know to expect a translation following the English message. This step eliminates confusion and ensures that the LEP patient knows to listen to the entire message before hanging up or leaving a message. This open enrollment season, take some time to consider ways in which your phone system and call center processes can be improved to create a smoother experience for callers with LEP. Here are some ways to eliminate common barriers LEP callers may face: At Avantpage, we’re proud to provide over-the-phone interpreting services to help your organization connect with clients who have LEP. Contact us today at [email protected] or (530) 750-2040 for more information.

It should come as no surprise that strong health literacy is associated with more positive health outcomes.  Health literacy — that is, an individual’s ability to understand and utilize information on health and medical care — is an important part of being able to advocate for yourself in a healthcare setting, whether that’s at the emergency room or a routine check-up. In one 2022 study, researchers found that hospital patients with poor health literacy were more likely to revisit the hospital 90 days after discharge than patients with adequate health literacy. But developing a strong sense of health literacy can be difficult — especially since a good deal of medical literature and information is presented in complex, inaccessible language. Even more challenging is developing a strong sense of health literacy when you have visual impairments that make it difficult to read this information in the first place. On its own, then, accessible language isn’t enough — healthcare providers also need to ensure blind and low-vision patients have access to health information in alternative formats like braille, audio recordings, and large print. In providing a breadth of information in various accessible formats, healthcare providers can promote improved health outcomes for all of their patients. The beginning of October marks National Disability Employment Awareness Month, a time to highlight the importance of making healthcare information and services accessible to all individuals, regardless of their abilities. In this blog post, we’ll explore the crucial role of health literacy in achieving positive health outcomes and explore ways to improve health literacy using accessible language and alternative formats. The vast majority of people in the US have limited health literacy — according to Pfizer, just 12% of people in the nation are proficient when it comes to their health literacy. Health literacy isn’t necessarily about being able to understand medical jargon or decipher dense medical texts — after all, regular patients can’t be expected to understand health and medicine at the same level as trained doctors, nurses, or pharmacists. Health literacy, then, is more about being able to parse through the information a doctor or healthcare provider gives you in a way that allows you to make informed decisions about your well-being. Individuals who are health literate are better prepared to navigate the healthcare system and can play a more active role in their medical care. People with limited health literacy often struggle to fully understand their health conditions. They may also struggle with figuring out how to properly apply their medications and maintain good health overall. Consequently, they may experience poorer overall health, higher healthcare costs, and an increased likelihood of rehospitalization and mortality. On the other hand, individuals with better health literacy are more likely to experience improved health outcomes. They can better comprehend basic health information, communicate effectively with healthcare providers, and make informed decisions about their care. As such, it’s in everyone’s best interest to close the gaps in health literacy. With a more health literate population, hospitals can reduce readmission rates, in turn lowering the amount of stress placed on our healthcare system and improving health outcomes for society as a whole. One of the first steps to closing gaps in health literacy is to ensure that patient-facing documents and other materials are provided in accessible language. That means language that’s welcoming and easy to understand. While there’s a time and place for medical jargon, it’s important that complex topics are presented in a way that’s actually meaningful to the patient. If you’re looking to provide patients with information that can boost their health literacy, you may want to look at some of your pre-existing materials — flyers, brochures, webpages, etc. may benefit from a complete rehaul to clean things up. It’s important for every step of the patient journey to be as accessible and understandable as possible — from scheduling appointments online to informational pamphlets about a specific health condition. Read our guide on plain language to learn more about how you can present information to patients in an easily understandable fashion that sheds light on their health condition. Here are just a few of the benefits of using accessible language with your patients: However, we shouldn’t stop at accessible language. Some groups face unique barriers when it comes to health literacy. For example, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have noted that individuals with visual impairments may struggle more in honing their health literacy skills due to the fact that they’re less able to access certain visual cues that can aid them in deciphering relevant medical texts. As such, it’s important to refine this approach by making sure that relevant materials are accessible in alternative formats for people with visual impairments. Here are a few examples of alternative formats that can be used to ensure that people of diverse abilities are able to access your content: Once you’ve written your materials in accessible language, it’s time to work with an alternative format service provider to make sure that your content is accessible for every patient. By providing patients with accessible information in various alternative formats, you can help elevate your patients’ health literacy and improve outcomes for all. As we recognize National Disability Employment Awareness Month this year, we encourage healthcare providers to take the following steps to promote health literacy: At Avantpage, we’re committed to supporting healthcare organizations in their journey toward improved accessibility. We offer a comprehensive range of alternative format services, including audio, braille, and large print, to ensure that healthcare information is accessible to all — if you’re looking to boost health literacy among your patients, contact us today at [email protected] or (530) 750-2040.

In times of emergency, effective communication becomes paramount. Being able to understand and be understood can be a matter of life or death in emergencies. Rush translations — i.e., translations that are produced within a tight deadline, usually within 24 hours of the original request and some regulations requiring translation turnaround in as low as 4 hours — play a critical role in breaking language barriers when communication is especially urgent. These services can ensure that vital information reaches those who need it most. It’s especially common for public health organizations, emergency departments, and public information offices to request rush translations to facilitate urgent communication. For example, local health departments might request rush translations of a document warning members of the community about a disease outbreak, while a hospital emergency room might need to rush translate a patient’s old medical documents from a foreign language to give them adequate care. The urgency of rush translations means that there’s even less room for error when it comes to their production. While some agencies might be tempted to use quick and widely accessible tools like Google Translate to prepare an emergency translation, this is not a responsible approach, as it can create an unreliable translation. Instead, it’s important for agencies involved in providing emergency services to work closely with a trusted language service provider (LSP) that’s able to provide quick translation services on the fly. Emergency organizations can form partnerships with LSPs to contract rush translation services before an emergency strikes, allowing for the delivery of quick translations when they’re needed. In this blog post, we’ll explain why rush translations play such an important role in providing adequate emergency services. Read on to learn about the ins and outs of translation services for emergencies — or jump down to the Summary section for a quick recap.
It can be challenging enough to create and distribute effective communications in one language when you’re handling an emergency. But it’s vital to emergency management that agencies provide equally accessible communications materials to individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP). LSPs can help you tremendously with this, but there are also things that you can do on your end to streamline the process and ensure that your organization’s most urgent and time-sensitive communications are translated effectively. Here are four important factors to consider when preparing multilingual communications in response to an emergency: One common challenge associated with rush translations is the potential risk of reduced quality due to the need for speedy delivery. Emergency communications have to occur rapidly, as they typically deal with time-sensitive content. But just because rush translations are produced according to a faster timeline than your usual translation, doesn’t mean that you can cut any corners. Here are some ways that your organization can ensure high-quality rush translations: They wouldn’t be called “rush” translations if there weren’t a need for speed. Emergency communications and documents are typically quite time-sensitive, so it’s important to request rush translations as soon as possible.  Whether you’re facing federally imposed time constraints or simply have urgent communication needs, try employing the following strategies to help expedite the translation process: The need for fast turnaround and additional requirements can often lead to higher costs for rush translations. And it makes sense — when a rush translation request comes in, LSPs and their translators may have to put other projects on the back burner, or expand the number of linguists on a project, to ensure the timely delivery of your translation. Plus, emergency services may also require additional considerations and add-ons, such as a trauma-informed care qualifications or HIPAA compliance. However, strategic planning can help optimize the use of language services while minimizing expenses: Maintaining confidentiality is crucial for many organizations, and the level of required confidentiality may vary. Each organization and document will have different requirements — an emergency management agency producing public-facing communications will of course have fewer confidentiality restrictions (if any) than a hospital requesting a rush translation of a patient’s medical documents. To ensure that your LSP understands and meets your confidentiality needs, consider doing the following:
In emergencies, effective communication is vital, and rush translations help bridge language barriers, ensuring critical information is conveyed promptly. Here are some important factors that agencies must consider when commissioning rush translation services from LSPs. Managing emergencies is stressful — but the right LSP can ease the burden of producing multilingual communications. AvantPage is proud to provide rush translations to all kinds of emergency management organizations and agencies. Reach out to us today at [email protected] or (530) 750-2040 to learn more about how we can help you manage your multilingual emergency communications effectively.

Table of Contents - What Is Trauma-Informed Care? - Why Trauma-Informed Language Services Matter for Healthcare, Legal, and Social Service Providers - General Considerations for Interpreting Settings - Trauma-Informed Care: Special Considerations - 1. Gender Preferences - 2. Age Preferences - 3. Language Preferences - 4. Community Dynamic - 5. Interpreter's Preference - How Avantpage Delivers Trauma-Informed Interpreting - Why Trauma-Informed Care Is Critical to Spoken Communication - Frequently Asked Questions About Trauma-Informed Services - Partner With a Language Service Provider Trained in Trauma-Informed Care Navigate a person-centered care system through trauma-informed language services.
At the surface level, language services like translation and interpreting might seem like fairly straightforward processes: You take content (or speech) in one language, and reproduce the meaning and message in another. But in practice, it’s all a lot more complicated than that. Translators and interpreters have to take all sorts of other considerations into account, from the specific context of the source to the audience who will be receiving the message in the target language. After all, the content you might read in an advertisement is worlds away from the language a medical interpreter has to relay back and forth between a patient and their doctor. And certain settings, such as healthcare, emergency services, and legal services, may require providers of language services to take into account the trauma that a person might have experienced before needing those services. As a result, translation and interpretation become inextricably linked with providing trauma-informed care, and it’s important that language service providers working in these sectors be able to pair non-English-speaking individuals who’ve suffered trauma with interpreters who are well-equipped to provide trauma-informed language services. For language service providers working in these domains, translation and interpreting are far from just matching and pairing languages — it’s also about making sure individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP) get the care they need and are able to advocate for themselves in light of traumatic experiences. Interpreters in particular are likely to work with clients and patients who need trauma-informed services. When working with individuals who have dealt with traumatic experiences — whether it’s violence or serious injury — interpreters need to be knowledgeable about how to effectively provide trauma-informed care. Here, we’ll discuss what trauma-informed care looks like and what interpreters and language service providers in general can do to ensure that they’re providing effective and sensitive trauma-informed language services. Trauma-informed care is a way to provide effective care and services to individuals who may have experienced some form of trauma. It’s a matter of being sensitive to an individual’s traumas and making sure that they’re able to receive adequate care in response to these traumatic events. Revisiting and discussing traumatic events can actively harm somebody’s mental well-being — as a result, it’s important to be sensitive when providing care to people who have faced such trauma. In recent years, providers of both legal and medical services have championed ways to provide trauma-informed services, from reframing the way they talk about traumatic events to avoiding triggering topics altogether. Providing trauma-informed care can be even trickier when there’s a language and/or cultural barrier. As a result, using interpreters who are specialized in providing trauma-informed care can help build bridges for limited English proficient individuals to receive adequate care. In addition, nationally recognized frameworks such as SAMHSA’s Six Principles of Trauma-Informed Care (Safety, Trustworthiness, Peer Support, Collaboration, Empowerment, and Cultural/Historical/Gender Sensitivity) play an important role in shaping how language access providers support LEP individuals. Incorporating these principles helps ensure that communication is not only accurate but also emotionally safe and culturally aligned. For organizations serving vulnerable populations, trauma-informed language access is more than a best practice — it’s a compliance requirement and patient safety issue. Providers must consider: When communication is unclear or emotionally triggering, organizations may see increased safety risks, misdiagnosis, patient dissatisfaction, or legal complications. Effective trauma-informed interpreting helps reduce these risks while supporting a more compassionate, person-centered care approach. Before delving into trauma-informed language services specifically, it’s worthwhile to go over some general considerations that apply to most interpreting settings. These include: The key consideration to keep in mind when providing trauma-informed services is the emotional and physical well-being of the client or patient.   Trauma-informed language services acknowledge the potential vulnerability, distress, or triggers that individuals may experience in sensitive or traumatic situations. By implementing trauma-informed practices and considerations, language service providers can create a safe and supportive environment for effective communication and healing. Here are some additional considerations language service providers should take into account when working with patients who have experienced some form of trauma.  Traumatic experiences can lead individuals to feel more comfortable or safe when communicating with an interpreter of a specific gender. Respecting this preference can create an environment that’s conducive to open communication and trust. Similarly, some individuals may find it easier to connect and share their experiences with interpreters within a specific age range. Victims of violence may prefer to avoid interpreters of the same age as their attacker, but broadly speaking, an age preference can also be influenced by cultural factors, life experiences, or personal comfort. Speakers of English as a second language (ESL) may prefer to work with an interpreter even if they don’t have LEP. Generally speaking, it’s easier to convey subtle nuances and express yourself in your native language — it’s hard enough to gather your thoughts after a traumatic experience, so it’s important to respect ESL speakers’ desire to work with an interpreter if they request one. Additionally, speaking through an interpreter from the same linguistic background can help build trust. Some clients may prefer to avoid working with interpreters who they know personally — others may feel safer with somebody they do know. This is particularly important to consider in small communities where an interpreter is more likely to know many members of their linguistic community, but in any setting, it’s important to consider the degree of anonymity a client or patient would like when receiving language access services. Certain words and phrases (particularly body parts and expletives) can be triggering to both the client and the interpreter. It’s important for language service providers to know what a certain interpreter may or may not be comfortable with interpreting. Assigning an interpreter who’s uncomfortable with certain phrases and topics could have a negative impact on the overall integrity of their interpretation, so it’s important to make sure your interpreter’s boundaries. It’s also important to note that these considerations go beyond trauma-informed services as well — even if a client hasn’t experienced severe trauma that you know of. While especially so in particular settings, being sensitive to a client or patient’s needs and triggers is critical to providing effective language services. To support organizations that serve vulnerable or high-risk populations, Avantpage has built specialized processes, training, and quality controls designed specifically for trauma-informed communication. These include: These safeguards help healthcare providers, legal entities, and social service organizations deliver care that is compassionate, culturally aligned, and clinically accurate, even in the most sensitive contexts. A trauma-informed approach to language access services is absolutely crucial, especially when it comes to interpreting for patients and clients in need of mental health, medical, or legal services. By considering an individual’s needs, experiences, and preferences, language service providers can deliver more effective and supportive services. Here are just a few things you should keep in mind when providing interpreting services in a sensitive or trauma-informed setting: A specialized form of interpreting that incorporates emotional safety, cultural sensitivity, and best practices designed to avoid retraumatization. Absolutely! Video remote interpreting (VRI) is often preferred for trauma-informed settings because it allows for visual cues while preserving privacy if anonymity is needed. Look for providers that include trauma-informed training, follow CLAS Standards, comply with Title VI, and demonstrate experience in clinical and legal settings — all areas where Avantpage excels. It minimizes the chance of miscommunication, supports emotional well-being, and helps providers maintain compliance with federal language access requirements. If your organization supports vulnerable communities, trauma survivors, or individuals navigating complex legal or medical systems, choosing the right language access partner is essential. Avantpage provides trauma-informed interpreting, professional translation, and culturally aligned communication services designed to protect safety, dignity, and trust. Ready to strengthen your approach to trauma-informed care? Contact us online or call (530) 750-2040 to speak with our team about building a tailored interpreting solution.

You probably don’t need us to remind you that in 2020, the United States declared the COVID-19 pandemic to be a public health emergency (PHE) — but now it’s looking like we’re finally in the clear, after three years of masking, social distancing, and working from home.  That’s not to say the pandemic’s over or that we no longer need to worry about COVID-19 — just that the state of emergency is over. Last month, the United States officially ended the PHE that was put in place more than three years ago. Among other aspects of daily life, the PHE had a profound impact on healthcare and how we access it — as such, the PHE ending is also likely to have an equally profound impact on telehealth. “[The Department of Health and Human Services] and the leadership across the Department remain focused on protecting the health and well-being of all Americans, particularly those at highest at risk, including seniors and immunocompromised people, making sure we don’t leave the uninsured behind, and monitoring the latest subvariants so we’re prepared and ready to manage the risks of the virus moving forward,” secretary of health and human services Xavier Becerra said in a statement on May 11, when the PHE officially ended. In response to the PHE, doctors and other healthcare providers adopted several telehealth measures and practices to allow patients and healthcare workers to stay safe in the face of COVID-19. The US Department of Health and Human Services first declared a PHE in response to COVID-19 in late January 2020. But it wasn’t until about a month and a half later that things began to hit the fan. In mid-March of that year the number of people diagnosed with COVID started rising fast — in response, businesses began to close their doors, students attended class on their laptops, and the video communications platform known as Zoom became a household name. During the PHE, virtual doctor’s appointments and other forms of telehealth became more prominent — this was possible because the PHE relaxed certain HIPAA requirements and allowed patients to file insurance claims for more telehealth services. And in the language services domain, remote interpreting became an even more important method of delivering services than before. The shift to telehealth meant healthcare providers had to rely on remote interpreting technology more than ever before.  It certainly stands to reason that this change should have had a positive impact on patients with limited English proficiency (LEP). Instead, it seems that telehealth was often less accessible to patients with LEP than those without. From problems with digital literacy to inaccessible user journeys, many patients with LEP struggled to receive the care they needed during the PHE. As we transition into this post-PHE era, here’s what healthcare providers — telehealth or otherwise — should know about accessing language services and providing equitable care to patients with LEP.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, language barriers have posed challenges to effective healthcare delivery for individuals with LEP. Even before the pandemic, healthcare providers have had to take measures to break language barriers for patients with LEP.  But the pandemic and the shift to telehealth under the PHE made things even tougher. Insufficient digital literacy, lack of access to digital requirements like broadband internet among certain populations with LEP, and occasionally erroneous or misleading translations of important public health information made it harder for patients with LEP to access telehealth. And as a result, research suggests that populations with LEP were more likely to suffer adverse consequences from COVID-19 than other groups. These disparities shed some much-needed light on the importance of language access in healthcare. Ultimately, the PHE created a motive for healthcare providers to develop programs and innovative solutions to address language access barriers and ensure equitable healthcare for all. 
With the end of the PHE last month, many healthcare providers will be less likely to rely upon certain telehealth practices. And some things that were allowed under the PHE — for example, a relaxation of HIPAA that let providers who were covered by Medicare to use WhatsApp and FaceTime — will no longer be allowed. Likewise, the end of the PHE also means that doctors are no longer able to prescribe controlled substances to patients via telehealth alone. Patients will be required to come in for an in-person visit with the doctor before any such prescriptions can be written or filled. While video doctors’ appointments will certainly stick around, they’ll likely become less common than they were during the pandemic — especially since fewer telehealth visits will be covered by insurance, requiring many patients to default to onsite visits to the doctor. This means patients with LEP could potentially have to travel longer distances to meet with a doctor who speaks their language. Healthcare providers will still be able to use remote interpreting technology to get connected with an interpreter, in the event that a patient needs an interpreter. Demand for in-person interpreting may increase, however, as doctors begin to shift away from telehealth appointments and technologies.  Additionally, healthcare providers may need to reevaluate their language access practices to ensure that they meet the needs of patients who are coming into the office or hospital. In-person appointments introduce additional layers — for example, interacting with the receptionist at the front desk — that could cause friction if language access isn’t adequately considered.
About a month into this new chapter, it’s critical that healthcare providers consider ways in which the end of the PHE might impact the accessibility of telehealth services. Here are some things for healthcare providers to keep in mind during this critical junction: As we transition into this new phase of the pandemic, Avantpage is proud to provide consulting, translation, and interpreting services to healthcare providers all across the country. If you need to work on revising your language access plan for the post-PHE era, don’t hesitate to contact us at [email protected] or (530) 750-2040 for more information about our services.

Telehealth and its 4 subsets might not have been on your radar until the COVID-19 pandemic brought it into the spotlight back in the spring of 2020. But even as the pandemic’s eased up, telehealth doesn’t appear to be going anywhere any time soon.  It’s become a particularly important tool in providing healthcare to individuals who would otherwise face significant barriers to healthcare services, such as people who live in highly rural locations or those with limited English proficiency (LEP). Simply put, telehealth is a way for healthcare providers to digitally work with patients and interact with the public — though it’s often viewed as synonymous with live video appointments, this is just one aspect of telehealth. There are four subsets of telehealth, ranging from more intimate one-on-one video sessions with a patient and a doctor, to more wide-reaching public health campaigns. The four subsets of telehealth are as follows: For individuals with LEP, telehealth can break language barriers in several different ways. Live video appointments can connect patients with doctors who speak their language but are located far away, while mobile health campaigns can be translated into different languages to ensure LEP individuals are informed about public health issues and other important medical information. Despite all of this, the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted significant disparities in the health outcomes of patients with LEP. Throughout the early days of the pandemic, populations with significant proportions of individuals with LEP often faced the toughest outcomes when compared to their English-speaking counterparts. From insufficiently accessible (and in turn, discouraging) user journeys on telehealth portals to problems with digital literacy, the rise of telehealth made healthcare less accessible for individuals with LEP.  As telehealth became more prominent, so too did awareness of the disparities between patients with LEP and those without. Here, we’ll examine the four subsets of telehealth and how they can impact the care that patients with LEP receive. From remote patient monitoring to store and forward, we’ll discuss ways in which providers can be thoughtful and purposeful in the way they interact with and treat their patients who do not speak English proficiently.
There are a handful of different types of technology that healthcare providers can use when offering telehealth — each one is unique, serving different outcomes and leading to different outcomes.
This is the form of telehealth that you’re probably most familiar with — live video telehealth utilizes video conferencing tools like Zoom to connect patients with their healthcare providers. This allows patients to receive care from the comfort of their homes, and healthcare providers can assess a patient’s health status in real-time. With live video, a doctor’s geographical proximity becomes less important — this allows patients with LEP to more easily connect with doctors and interpreters who speak their language without having to travel long distances. However, video visits may also require interpreting services to ensure effective communication between the patient and the provider. Telehealth providers should always be prepared to offer virtual remote interpreting services for video visits in case a patient is and provide instructions and training materials in the patient’s preferred language.
Mobile telehealth includes any sort of public health messaging or medical education delivered to patients via mobile devices like smartphones or tablets. This might include a series of mass text messages sent out to alert a community about a disease outbreak in their area or more general campaigns that simply aim to promote healthy behavior. Although these types of campaigns may not be as palpable as a one-on-one appointment with a doctor, they do play an important role in engaging individuals with LEP. By working with language service providers to translate these messages into a linguistically and culturally appropriate format, telehealth providers can ensure that these messages are as accessible and meaningful as possible. When mobile health campaigns aren’t linguistically appropriate, prospective patients might feel alienated or discouraged from pursuing healthcare services — or worse, left in the dark about important public health information like local disease outbreaks.
Remote patient monitoring involves the use of electronic devices to monitor a patient’s health status from the comfort of their own home. These devices monitor things like a patient’s blood pressure, heart rate, weight, and other vital signs — this data can then be sent to healthcare providers to monitor and assess a patient’s health status. Healthcare providers typically use these devices after discharging a patient, in an effort to lower the likelihood of hospital readmission. For patients with LEP, language access is critical in ensuring that they understand how to use remote patient monitoring devices properly and that healthcare providers can understand and interpret the data correctly. Providers should offer instructions and training materials in the patient’s preferred language, and offer interpreter services when necessary. Store and forward is a form of asynchronous telehealth that allows doctors to assess a patient’s status without ever having to schedule a real-time appointment (over video or otherwise). With store and forward, patients and healthcare providers can send photos, videos, and other health records to other specialists for analysis — for example, a patient might send photos of a skin lesion to their primary care physician, who then passes the photo off to a dermatologist for further analysis. To ensure that LEP individuals benefit from store and forward, healthcare providers can work with language service providers to translate and interpret information about store and forward practices, so that they understand the benefit of this type of telehealth.  Telehealth can be an undoubtedly powerful tool for improving health equity among patients with LEP. Within the realm of telehealth, there are four subsets that must be applied in different situations. For each type of telehealth service, providers must keep in mind unique considerations for patients with LEP. To recap, here are the four subsets of telehealth and how they work: At Avantpage, we’re proud to help telehealth providers improve their approach to language access and unlock telehealth’s potential to break language barriers for patients with LEP. If you’re looking to make your telehealth services more accessible to individuals with LEP, contact us at [email protected] or (530) 750-2040.

Health insurance providers have to work with extremely tight timelines to ensure that patients receive communications and letters about their plans in a timely fashion. To stay compliant with local and federal regulations, healthcare organizations need access to fast, reliable multilingual translations. That’s where specialized same-day document translation services come in. In this article, we’ll explore the critical role regulatory compliance plays in document translation for organizations in the medical field, along with a step-by-step look at how Avantpage delivers same-day document translation services. Table of Contents - Why Do Health Insurance Providers Need to Enhance Their Accessibility Standards? - Benefits of Same-Day Document Translation for Health Insurance Providers - Our Document Translation Process - Step 1: Receive the Project - Step 2: Pre-process the document and assign linguists - Step 3: Translation Process - Step 4: Printing and mailing - Step 5: Delivery - Frequently Asked Questions About Same-Day Document Translation in Healthcare  - Summary Since California’s Department of Health Care Services issued APL 21-011 in 2022, California’s Medi-Cal managed health care plans have had to issue notice of action (NOA) letters and notice of appeal resolution (NAR) letters to patients in their preferred language (or preferred alternative format such as braille or large print) within a 72-hour timeframe. When mailing these communications to patients with limited English proficiency (LEP), this means the content must be translated, printed, mailed, and received within just three days. Now, due to changes by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, this requirement is expanding out of California and will be standard across the nation. The 72-hour requirement aims to reduce delays in patient care, which can be detrimental to a patient’s overall health outcome. Still, this is a pretty tight timeframe to work within, and it may seem like the translation process would slow things down. But it doesn’t have to be that way. At Avantpage, we’ve been working with California healthcare organizations since this regulation was first introduced in 2022 to develop a finely tuned process that ensures patients with LEP or disabilities receive translated/alternatively formatted letters well within the 72-hour timeframe. In the first year alone, we managed to translate 17,000 member letters. We can handle everything from translating letters to actually printing and mailing them — all while maintaining compliance with HIPAA and the requirements outlined in new regulations surrounding APLs. Same-day document translation services enable health insurance providers to meet urgent deadlines, maintain regulatory compliance, and communicate effectively with diverse member populations. By partnering with a professional translation service, health plans can streamline operations and improve member satisfaction. The main benefits of professional translation services include: Learn how one of the nation’s leading health plan providers committed to language accessibility with same-day translations. At Avantpage, we understand why same-day document translation is crucial for organizations and patients. Government regulations are constantly changing to help close health equity gaps, especially for individuals with limited English proficiency. Sometimes these changes happen abruptly, requiring your organization to quickly deliver new or updated materials, often in additional languages. If your organization is not compliant, you may face serious consequences. That’s why working with a professional language service provider is so important. Listed below are the steps we follow for our translation to print and mail services. The translation process outline shows how we translate member letters and other important healthcare communications in rushed timeframes without sacrificing the quality of your communication.  Our clock starts ticking as soon as you send us the content you need translated. Along with the letter you need translated, you’ll also need to give us various project specifications for the project so that we can complete it in a timely fashion — that includes things like turnaround time, target language, etc. Once we receive a document and project specifications, we get right to work. The vast majority of our translations are printed and mailed out within seven to eight hours. Once we’ve got the content and project specifications, we run the document through AvantShield, our proprietary patient health information (PHI) masking software. This preprocessing step is absolutely ensuring that our translations are HIPAA compliant; during this step, we remove all PHI from the document so that this data remains safe and secure. After processing the document through AvantShield, we assign the project to a team of linguists to begin the translation process. In assigning linguists to a project, we take into account several factors—availability, linguist qualifications, location and HIPAA requirements. Once the team has been assigned to your project, we’ll begin with the translation steps. The linguist team will first translate the content into the target language, edit it to ensure accuracy and readability, and review it to make sure that there are no typographical errors. After the review step is done, we’ll make sure to put the PHI back into the document. We save this step for last in order to keep patient data secure and ensure HIPAA compliance. Our in-house quality assurance (QA) team, who runs further QA checks and gives the final stamp of approval on each translation. Our extensive QA procedures allow you to rest easy knowing that we’re delivering the most accurate and high-quality translation possible. By the eighth hour, your letter is translated and ready to go. At this stage, we’ll work closely with one of our highly vetted printers to ensure that your documents are printed and mailed in a timely fashion. We’ll send the document directly to the printer, so you don’t have to worry about handling the logistics of printing and mailing these letters yourself. Once the document is printed, the printer will package and mail the letter to the patient. By Hour 8, your letter should be in the mail carrier and ready for delivery. We allow the most time for this final period, since the delivery process is entirely manual. Because we complete the translation and quality steps so early on in the process, we have a little bit of leeway in case there are any delays in the postal system. Altogether, this process allows your patients to receive their communications in their preferred language in a timely fashion. This reduces the chance of delays in patient care, in turn, improving their health outcomes. It depends. With same-day document translation to print and mail, work begins the day your health plan materials are received. Certified translation services include essential steps such as human translation, proofreading, and formatting to ensure accuracy. After quality assurance checks are completed, the document is printed and mailed. This fast turnaround allows health insurance providers to stay compliant with regulatory deadlines without compromising the quality of care communications. For projects delivered digitally without print and mail, turnaround times can be even faster. In healthcare settings, especially for health insurance plans, notarized translations are generally not required unless explicitly requested by a legal or regulatory body. However, Avantpage offers a certificate of translation upon request, verifying the document was translated by expert translators and meets professional translation standards, sufficient for most compliance requirements. If you need to work with a notary or require official use documentation, let us know, and we will work with you to get you what you need. Same-day translation services are essential for health plans, managed care organizations, government health agencies, and providers that must meet urgent communication requirements. For example, under CMS guidelines, Medi-Cal, or state-specific mandates, insurance plans are required to provide timely, multilingual communication to members with limited English proficiency (LEP). These stakeholders rely on healthcare translation services to meet tight timelines and reduce delays in care. Health plans often need notice of action (NOA) letters, appeal resolution notices (NARs), eligibility letters, medical records, and compliance notices translated quickly. Each document must undergo accurate translation with quick turnaround to ensure timely delivery and member understanding. Avantpage uses human translators who specialize in healthcare translations, terminology, and regulatory language. Every document goes through multiple layers of proofreading and a strict quality assurance process. This ensures the final product is an accurate translation that meets HIPAA and CMS compliance standards. Yes. Avantpage offers hard copies through our integrated print-and-mail service. After translation, your documents are professionally printed and shipped directly to members. This is particularly important for health plans serving individuals who need physical copies in alternative formats such as large print, braille, or translated languages. Unlike general translation agencies, Avantpage specializes in health insurance and government healthcare programs. Our focus on urgent translation, HIPAA compliance, and multilingual accessibility ensures your organization stays aligned with evolving regulatory standards. You’ll also benefit from dedicated customer support at every step of the process—from initial intake to final delivery. Contact us at [email protected] or call (530) 750-2040. Share your translation needs, including the type of document, required turnaround, and target language, and we’ll respond promptly with pricing and timelines. We’re here to help you meet your deadlines with confidence. Yes. While primarily serving health insurance organizations, Avantpage also provides services for related legal documents, including birth certificates, marriage certificates, and other personal records that may be required for eligibility verification or dependent enrollment. These documents are handled with the same level of certified accuracy, subject to proofreading and compliance review, ensuring they meet both healthcare and legal standards. We do. Avantpage offers fast translation solutions for healthcare clients supporting members with USCIS applications or immigration-related health services. Whether it's medical records, identity verification, or coverage documents needed for immigration proceedings, our services ensure accurate, certified translations with a fast turnaround, so nothing delays access to care or legal processing. At Avantpage, we’ve been working with health insurance providers to make sure their clients receive information about their health plans in their preferred language as quick as possible, without sacrificing on translation quality. We’ve developed a fine-tuned process to ensure that translated letters reach patients’ mailboxes in 72 hours or less—here’s how it works: Looking to learn more about how we can help you deliver letters to patients in 72 hours or less? Contact us today at [email protected] or (530) 750-2040.