Every patient deserves to be understood, no matter their language or communication needs. Empowering your healthcare organization to better connect with patients who have language needs, accessibility needs, or both can help you meet compliance and improve your organization's reputation.
Yet, navigating regulatory requirements, managing limited resources, and providing consistent communication across languages and alternate formats can be difficult. Fortunately, new technology offers innovative solutions that can help overcome these obstacles, making it easier for healthcare organizations to deliver a cohesive, inclusive patient experience.
Let’s take a closer look at three ways healthcare organizations can take advantage of technology to improve the patient experience for patients with language and accessibility needs.
1. Streamline Your Systems with Software Integrations
Communication difficulties result in frustration for patients and providers alike, and research shows they can compromise the quality of care and patient satisfaction. Patients with language and accessibility needs also struggle with obtaining and using health insurance, with studies showing that immigrants with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) are twice as likely to be uninsured as those who can speak English proficiently.
But requesting language services can take time, and time is at a premium in busy healthcare organizations. By integrating translation and interpretation services into tools like electronic health records (EHRs) and content management systems, you can simplify workflows and make sure patients get the correct information when they need it.
For example, United Language Group’s Epic integration allows providers to easily engage an interpreter earlier in the encounter, reduce the risk of miscommunication, and focus on the patients’ health concerns. Our “Click-to-Connect” feature embeds interpreter services directly within the Epic platform, allowing providers to access phone interpretation instantly in over 250 languages during critical moments like consultations, treatment planning, or discharge.
For online content, integrations like our Adobe Experience Manager localization integration can streamline the process of website and content marketing localization, making it easier for organizations to fill in the information gaps that people with LEP often experience when they seek out healthcare and health insurance.
Technology integrations allow your organization to make information accessible to all in a variety of languages and formats, more easily and efficiently than ever before. Implementing these tools can help your organization make the most of your available resources to meet compliance, boost patient satisfaction, and provide a more inclusive healthcare experience.
2. Use AI to Enhance Language Access
Incorporating AI into your language access strategy is a powerful way to manage the increasing demands of healthcare communication, especially as the patient population becomes more diverse. Our human-led, tech-enabled approach ensures that AI-driven tools complement the essential human touch in healthcare, rather than replacing it.
One of the most significant advancements in this area is the use of AI-powered neural machine translation (NMT). NMT can rapidly process and translate large volumes of content with higher accuracy than older machine translation methods. It can also produce highly natural and fluent translations on demand. These new capabilities make it a valuable tool for healthcare organizations managing diverse patient needs—though human experts still need to be part of the process to maintain quality.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recognizes this and has incorporated NMT into the 2024 final rule for Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act. According to the final rule, healthcare organizations can integrate MT into their communication strategies, but all machine-translated content must be reviewed by a qualified human translator, particularly for complex or technical materials. This approach allows for faster translation of large volumes of content while maintaining the accuracy and cultural relevance essential for effective patient communication.
Our team incorporates NMT within a secure, compliant workflow that always includes human review. This ensures your patients with LEP receive clear, accurate, and culturally sensitive information. But that’s not the only way we use AI to improve language access. Our intelligent Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems use AI to guide patients through phone menus in their preferred language, quickly connecting them to the right resources or interpreters. This reduces wait times and improves patient satisfaction by making interactions smoother and more intuitive.
AI also plays a crucial role in over-the-phone interpretation (OPI) services. For instance, our AI-enhanced tools help identify the most appropriate interpreter for each situation, routing calls accordingly so that patients receive the best possible care in their native language. This not only streamlines the process but also improves the overall quality of care by reducing the risk of miscommunication.
By integrating AI into your language access strategy, you can improve efficiency, lower costs, ensure compliance, and provide a more inclusive, patient-centered experience.
3. Partner with an LSP That Prioritizes Technology
Choosing a Language Service Provider (LSP) that prioritizes technology can transform your healthcare organization’s ability to deliver exceptional care. A tech-savvy LSP not only integrates advanced tools into your language access strategy but also ensures that these solutions are supported by a strong infrastructure for maximum impact.
Our team consistently works to incorporate the latest technology to improve the quality and speed of our services to make our customers’ lives easier. One way we do this is through our Octave™ Translation Management System (TMS). Octave is a powerful, cloud-based platform designed to streamline the entire translation process. By automating workflows and offering real-time tracking, Octave guarantees that your translation projects are managed efficiently from start to finish.
This platform also integrates smoothly with your existing systems, making it easy to request translations, monitor progress, and manage quality—all from one central dashboard. Whether you're handling high volumes of patient documents or localizing digital content, Octave makes it easier to deliver accurate, culturally relevant translations on time.
In addition, we recently migrated our interpretation services to a new, cutting-edge platform. This migration allows us to better meet the needs of our clients by providing quicker and more reliable access to interpreters.
As your organization grows and your language needs become more complex, ULG’s advanced tools and platforms can adapt to meet these challenges. By partnering with a tech-forward LSP, you can enhance communication, ensure compliance, and provide a more inclusive experience for all your patients.
Lead the Way in Inclusive Care with Strategic Language Solutions
Harnessing technology is one way to improve the patient experience for language and accessibility needs. By incorporating advanced tools like AI, integrated software solutions, and working with a tech-focused LSP, your organization can offer more effective and inclusive care efficiently.
We’re here to assist you in implementing the best solutions for your LEP patients. Contact us today to develop a language access strategy that suits your organization’s needs.
