As a medical provider or clinic, it is important to ensure that you are meeting the guidelines set forth by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in order to provide the best care possible for your patients. One important aspect of these guidelines relates to language access, which ensures that patients with limited English proficiency receive appropriate language services.
This article offers an overview of the steps for meeting CMS guidelines, as well as the option to download our comprehensive checklist. While the overview provides a general understanding, the checklist offers a more detailed and organized approach to compliance. With our checklist, your organization can be confident in meeting CMS guidelines, ensuring the highest quality of care for your patients.
Get ahead of the game and ensure your medical organization is fully compliant with CMS guidelines. Click the button below to download our detailed checklist or continue reading to check your progress.
CMS Guidelines For Language Access: Are You Compliant?
Review the sections below and assess how many actions you have taken to meet the guidelines.
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- Develop and implement a language access policy: This policy should outline the steps the practice takes to ensure that patients with limited English proficiency receive appropriate language services.
- Train staff on language access: Staff should be trained on how to communicate effectively with patients who speak limited English, and how to access language services when needed.
- Provide language services: The practice should have a list of available language services, such as interpreters, translated documents, and bilingual staff, and make sure that these services are available to patients as needed.
- Monitor language services: The practice should regularly monitor the effectiveness of its language services to ensure that they are meeting the needs of patients.
- Update patient registration forms: Patient registration forms should include questions about the patient’s primary language, so that the practice can identify patients who may need language services.
- Communicate with patients: The practice should communicate with patients in their preferred language, whether that’s through verbal communication or translated documents.
- Review and update: Regularly review and update the language access policy and procedures to ensure they align with CMS guidelines and best practices.
- Compliance with laws: Practice must ensure compliance with laws such as Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on national origin in programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance.
Your Partner In Language Access
Linguava can help you meet CMS guidelines with our comprehensive language services. Our team of professional interpreters and translators, along with our state-of-the-art technology, provide accurate and timely language support for your patients. We also offer language access training for your staff, along with detailed reporting and tracking of the language services provided, to ensure your practice is fully compliant with CMS guidelines.
Connect with our sales team today to learn more about how Linguava can help your practice meet CMS guidelines and provide the best possible care for your patients.
At Linguava, we are here to support you as your partner in language access. We are both ISO 9001 and 17100 certified. As a leading provider of language services for the healthcare industry, we offer a wide range of services to help medical practices meet CMS guidelines for language access, including Translation and Localization , Scheduled Video Interpretation, Video Remote Interpretation, Over the Phone Interpretation, and American Sign Language Interpretation.
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