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Tools & Models for Implementing LAS
This report "provides a framework for hospitals to develop and employ practices for meeting diverse patient needs." The framework, constituted of four themes, provides a systemic method for hospitals to think about how they provide health care that is culturally and linguistically appropriate. This framework is derived from current practices that hospitals are employing to provide care and services to their diverse patient populations. The four themes are: (1) building a foundation, organizational commitment including policies, procedures and leadership; (2) collecting and using data to improve services; (3) accommodating the needs of specific populations; and (4) establishing internal and external collaborations. The report outlines the different components to be addressed under each theme, and provides the specific recommendations or regulations that apply to each.
A Self-assessment tool is included at the end of the report (p. 47-53), which is designed to help hospitals and other health care organizations discuss needs, resources and tools, and explore current cultural and linguistic practices in order to identify potential gaps and areas for improvement. The tool consists of questions, generally open-ended, which are not evaluative and do not have right or wrong answers.
This toolkit provides step-by-step actions to take in specific areas to improve quality and accessibility of language services. The different areas that are broken down include: (1) laying foundations; (2) screening patients for their language needs; (3) building a language services work force; (4) getting an interpreter service to the patient; (5) documenting how language needs are met; (6) meeting patients' written language needs; (7) measuring and improving performance; (8) educating clinical staff on meeting patient's language needs; (9) taking a patient-centered approach to meeting language needs; (10) working in health care organization teams; and (11) promoting the value of language services in the organization; promoting the value of language services in the organization. A list of innovations and promising practices is provided at the end of the document.
Target audience: advocates working to ensure that people with limited English proficiency receive language appropriate services in health care settings. The action kit answers basic information about federal laws and policies requiring language appropriate services; federal funding opportunities; Medicaid and SCHIP reimbursement models for language services by state; making the case for language services – demographics, consequences or not providing language services (facts and personal stories), and tips on how to build a local case; next steps; and resources for advocates.
This guide provides practical, step-by-step ground-level suggestions for how healthcare organizations of all sizes and providers can implement language appropriate services. The guide is broken into four steps: (1) assessing language needs on the patients; (2) assessing your organizational capabilities; (3) planning, implementation and evaluation; and (4) monitoring, evaluation and improvement of LAS – specific methods. Each section provides relevant case studies and a check-list. Throughout the guide, there are web links, tools, resources, and tips. There are also 6 resource units specific to building different components of LAS services: (a) interpretation services; (b) written materials; (c) signage and way-finding; (d) notice of language access services to LEP patients; (e) community involvement; and (f) written language assistance plans.
This is a two-part document to be used by organizations receiving Federal financial assistance in their strategic planning efforts to ensure that their program goals and objectives address meaningful access for LEP clients. Part A: planning and self-assessment questions guided by Title VI requirements. Part B: a framework for the development of a Language Assistance Plan in light of general Title VI requirements.
This document will be helpful in developing organizational policy and procedures around language appropriate services for Limited English Proficient (LEP) clients, as it provides a draft of a model hospital “Policies and Procedures on Language Access for Limited English Proficient (LEP) Patients and Families” (p. 17-28) based on expertise of “best practice” hospitals and standards and regulations. Also included is discussion on key policy and procedural issues, terminology definitions and an index of relevant both national and California-specific legislation and standards.
Target audience: healthcare organizations and others. Purposes: (1) Demonstrate the importance of collecting accurate data on race, ethnicity, and primary language; (2) Help assess organizational capacity to collect this information; and (3) Help implement a systematic framework to collect such data.
American Medical Association, Ethical Force Program. Improving Communication – Improving Care.
This toolkit must be purchased and used with the help of a qualified consultant. The toolkit is designed to assess how effectively an organization communicates, and assist the organization in “improving communication with all patient populations and many of the questions are specifically focused on common communication problems, such as culture, language and health literacy gaps.”
This document lists each state receiving reimbursement for language services through Medicaid and SCHIP, and describes “state mechanisms for directly reimbursing providers for language services.”
This study describes promising practices identified through in-depth interviews with hospitals across the country that have demonstrated a commitment to patient-centered communications with vulnerable populations.
This tool is designed to help healthcare organizations examine cultural and linguistic competence in four dimensions: values, policy, structure, and practice through individually administered personal questionnaires. This information can then be taken to strengthen organizational cultural and linguistic competence.
This guide walks an organization through using the Cultural and Linguistic Competency Policy Assessment Instrument effectively and using the data collected to create an action plan.
Health care language services implementation guide. Office of Minority Health.
Target audience: healthcare organizations administrators. This guide takes you through four steps to implementing language access services: (1) assessing the language needs of your patients, (2) assessing your organizational capabilities, (3) planning and implementing language access services, and (4) evaluating the quality of your language access services.
Target audience: advocates and change agents who intend to advance cultural and linguistic practices of healthcare organizations. This article is intended to “reduce the risks related to being a change agent in modern American health care organizations,” it is meant to be “complimentary to the assessment tools, implementation checklists, and experienced consultants already available.” Lonner presents pitfalls, dangers and considerations to development and implementation of CLAS.
Please contact Katrina Badger at: katrinabadger@reachnola.org with any additional resources to add to the website or any questions.