Cambridge Health Alliance

Speaking Together: National Language Services Network
 
Language and interpretation services for limited English proficient (LEP) patients are critical in reducing health care disparities. Cambridge Health Alliance has taken great strides in improving the way it collects data on patients’ preferred language. As a participant in Speaking Together, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-sponsored project, Cambridge improved its process of language screening by working with information technology department to add new fields to the existing patient registration system—such as the patient’s primary language at home, preferred language for care, and preferred language for written materials. The hospital then trained registration staff and provided employees with a standard script to follow when registering patients. Cambridge also strategically placed posters listing the 30-plus languages that LEP patients can select from when requesting an interpreter.