Overview
Hartford Hospital is an acute-care facility that is part of the larger Hartford HealthCare network. The facility serves a predominantly Spanish-speaking community.
In 2018, the hospital’s process for communicating with Limited English Proficient (LEP) and deaf/hard-of-hearing patients was inefficient. Hartford Hospital was using six different language service providers (depending on the need).
Access to technology was lacking and staff was waiting hours for interpreters to show up. The facility was spending more than a million dollars a year for a process that wasn’t working. Hartford Hospital chose iTi from a pool of more than 20 language service providers.
The partnership with iTi allowed Hartford Hospital to increase access to language services by 1,900%. What’s more, accessibility across all of Hartford HealthCare increased by 3,000%!
THE CHALLENGE
More than 60% of Hartford Hospital’s patients are Spanish-speaking. The facility also has the highest volume of ASL assignments in the Hartford HealthCare network. Manager of Guest Services Ariel Pino knew they needed to improve access to language services, so he established a committee.
Utilization of language services was less than 50% of Hartford Hosiptal’s potential need. The reason? Lack of accessibility.
The results of a staff survey showed utilization of language services was less than 50% of the potential need.
Pino knew this was a huge issue. One study from 2020* showed 50% of U.S. patients believed errors were due to language barriers.
The number one reason utilization was so low? “Difficulty accessing language services.” Pino set out to fix this and create a more streamlined, cost-effective process.
*Implications of Language Barriers for Healthcare: A Systematic Review; Oman Med J. 2020 Mar; 35(2): e122.
THE SOLUTION
The process for communicating with patients was disjointed, Pino recalls. The hospital was using one vendor for in-person interpreting, another for over-the-phone, a different vendor for video remote interpreting, and a fourth for translation. “Why not have one vendor that could do it all?” Pino remembers thinking. Enter iTi, which won Pino over with its dedication to being more than just a language service provider.
“We weren’t looking for a vendor, but a strategic partner that could take us to the next level. A lot of other larger companies said they could do it, but we felt they were just telling us what we wanted to hear.”
Pino continued, “iTi took a different approach. They spoke a lot about how they can build with us.” It didn’t take long for Pino and the rest of the company to see they had made the right decision to partner with iTi.
“iTi blew me away with how fast they were able to get me a year’s worth of data for our annual Leadership Forum,” Pino said. “We showed everyone how much we were using language services. It was an eye-opener for everyone.”
Pino told another story about how iTi provided iPads and carts for Video Remote Interpreting before they had officially decided to make iTi their sole provider. Pino cites that story as an example of how iTi continually bent over backwards to help Hartford Hospital.
“(iTi) was there every step of the way,” Pino said, “so we didn’t have to deal with other vendors.”
THE RESULTS
“Everyone stresses how much easier it is to get an interpreter. The technology is so much more user-friendly, too. We don’t have to jump through hoops anymore.”
– Ariel Pino, Manager of Guest Services, Hartford HealthCare
Interpreters Translators, Inc. (iTi) is an NMSDC-certified minority-owned company, and provides multicultural language solutions across the nation in over 250 languages. iTi works with qualified, experienced and professional healthcare interpreters and has been trusted by hospitals and clinics for over 30 years. For more information on iTi’s healthcare interpreting and translating services, please visit our website, www.ititranslates.com, or give us a call anytime at 1-800-648-0686
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