The Enhanced National CLAS Standards – How to Deliver the Highest Level of Health Care to an Increasingly Diverse Population in the United States “Health equity is the attainment of the highest level of health for all people”[1]. Presently in the United States individuals from diverse cultural origins cannot access the highest level of health care available just because of factors outside their control like their socioeconomic status, language, education level and the location of medical centers and availability of health services. As the majority of health care interpreters can testify, these translate among other situations into missed appointments because of the lack of transportation, miscommunications between health care providers and …show more content…
The main purpose of these standards is to achieve health equality, and to help eradicate health care disparities by providing a blueprint for both the delivery of services and patient expectations. The Blueprint, was developed for individuals, health care organizations and medical providers in order to deliver medical services that are appropriate from an individual’s cultural and linguistic point of view. The Blueprint includes a list of 15 norms intended to be used as an implementation guide to help provide medical care in the language of the LEP patient and in a manner that is culturally appropriate not only at the doctor’s office but also in emergency …show more content…
The CLCCHC is a part of the HHS Office of Minority Health and its mission is to work with federal agencies and other public and private organizations to provide the highest quality of services at every point of patient contact. Language Access Services (LAS) are designed to ensure effective communication between LEP patients and English speakers. LAS primarily include translation and interpreting services at the different points of contact that a patient and his/her family goes through when they look for health care services: 1. The initial contact between patient and provider, and appointment scheduling 2. Entering the health care organization and navigating the system 3. Registration or admission upon arrival or via phone 4. Preparation for the visit and filling out various forms 5. Waiting in the lobby and the availability of brochures in different languages 6. Billing 7. Procedures, radiology and lab work 8. Diagnosis and explanation of treatment and discharge plan 9. Assessment and the clinical encounter, including the physical exam 10. Discussion of
According to the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, they have assessed the nation’s health system annually since 2003, reported that, in 2015 the health care delivery system has made progress to achieve the three aims of better care, smarter spending, and healthier people (City of White Plains Health Equity Report, 2017). However, they continue to promote health equality and reach the goal of New York State being the healthiest. But most importantly aiming to reduce or eliminate racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic health
Racial and ethnic inequalities in healthcare results in non-white patients receiving lower quality care that White patients. Additionally, people who speak limited English encounter more communication issues with doctors and nurses that people whose primary language is English. (AHRQ, 2011). Consequently, as people with chronic conditions utilize more healthcare services, they are more likely to complain of issues with the doctor-patient relationship. They feel as though they are not able to participate in their care, their doctors do not allow them to contribute to their medical decisions and they feel like doctors are not disclosing all information related to care. People who encounter this type of cultural ignorance become dissatisfied with their treatment and overall healthcare experience and are at high risk for negative
I know numerous East Africans and other minorities who fear and put off going to the hospital or clinic simply because they feel no one truly understands them on a more personal level and that their needs can’t and won’t be met entirely. According to the American Medical Association over 55% of health care providers agreed that, “minority patients generally receive lower quality health care” due to the lack of cultural competence. Those of different cultural backgrounds feel uneasy due to communication barriers and the lack of cultural competency amongst some health care providers. As a Somali-speaking nurse, I feel Somali patients, along with those of varying cultural backgrounds would be able to establish that sense of ease that’s needed when entering a health care facility or without having to feel the shame of having an interpreter hear about their personal health issues. According to Hospitals in Pursuit of Excellence,
In conclusion, It it is very necessary that our health care officials try harder to gain trust with minorities so that medicine can be focused more on equality. We all know that for decades our country was very diverse and everyone was treated differently. Although things have changed and it is sometimes important to preserve our past, past actions should not still be carried out. Even today, racism still occurs and it hard for minorities to feel safe when visiting hospitals and doctor’s offices. Minorities should be given equal medical opportunities, be given the honest truth on their diagnosis and treatments and most importantly be given some sort of health care so they can be treated.
Healthcare in the U.S. has recently been affected by implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010. The intent is to create a healthca...
The goal of this lesson is to explore how we can improve communication to eliminate language barriers between healthcare providers and patients in our organization and to establish culturally and linguistically appropriate goals, that provide safe, equal, and quality care to all our clients regardless of race, ethnic, or socioeconomic status. At the end of this lesson we should be
Goode, T. D., Dunne, M. C., & Bronheim, S. M. (2006). The evidence base for cultural and linguisitc competence in healthcare. The Commonweatlh Fund , 1-46.
Health disparity is one of the major concerns in the provision of quality care and access to healthcare which directly the life expectancy of the nation as about ethnicity and race. However, describing the health outcomes or status of an ethnic group in the population would help in a better evaluation of the disparities that occur within minority groups in our society. “Racial/ethnic disparities in health and quality of and access to health care are a well-documented and persistent problem. Across many indicators of health, access to care, and health care quality, racial/ethnic minorities fare worse than whites, and each population faces specific challenges”(James et al., 2017, p. 1).
Notwithstanding cultural diversity, race, ethnicity, or religion, understanding the roles of citizenship status and language is important for developing policies to help reduce disparities in health coverage and access. A person’s citizenship status (e.g., citizen, legal immigrant, or undocumented alien) affects eligibility for benefits like Medicaid or the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and the ability to obtain a job that offers health insurance benefits. English proficiency affects a person’s ability to communicate in our English-dominant society, and more specifically, to discuss medical problems with a physician or nurse or to complete an insurance application.
According to Penner et al. (2013), there are various causes of healthcare disparities, such as socioeconomic status; this results to poor healthcare services for people with low socioeconomic status, as people with low pay find it difficult to leave their work to seek healthcare help, or to afford healthcare insurance (p.4). The second cause is language proficiency. The language barriers faced by the immigrant plays a role in the healthcare disparities among the racial or ethnic minority patients. Another cause is health literacy. The levels of the health literacy among the foreign born individuals can be influenced by their higher level of distrust of the healthcare providers and healthcare system than they have towards Caucasian people. This, in turn, leads them to seek healthcare information less often than their Caucasian counterparts, thus hindering the provision of quality services, as well as limiting the foreign patients’ ability to manage their health conditions effectively. The foreigners’ failure to easily accept the information provided to them by healthcare providers puts them at risk. Disentangling the role of health literacy in racial healthcare disparities from the effects of racial attitudes and beliefs is often hard (Penner et al,
The national CLAS Standards provide the blueprint to implement such appropriate services to improve health care in the United States. The standards cover many areas, such as leadership, workforce, governance; communication and language assistance; organizational engagement, continuous improvement, and accountability. (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2014).
These services are provided by medical professionals serving U.S. citizens striving to provide the best possible care, but just as we have had a growth of medical knowledge the U.S. population has changed drastically. Minorities should no longer be overlooked as they are the new prospering culture in this day and age, especially for the Hispanic/ Latino people. As a result there has been a shift, a blend, and a creation of new cultures. It is imperative that medical professionals learn to understand culture. Failure to understand this thriving ethnic group can lead to complications such as ineffective communication, loss of trust between patient and medical personnel, and failure to provide proper treatment. That is why it is important to find ways to help Hispanics feel at ease when visiting any medical facility for service.
...ulture is changing, Hmong are not all the same, importance of family, privacy issues, mental health issues, and small talk is important (Barrett et al., 1998, 181-182) . Overall, Barrett and others concluded that in order to improve interaction between patient and doctor all they have to do is follow these easy steps. First, is to be kind and have a positive attitude towards the patient and interpreter. Second, learn about each other’s cultures prior to meeting, to better understand each other. Third, better explain diagnosis and treatment options to patients. Fourth, improve translation providers need to get better interpreters who could concisely explain the consultation. Fifth, involve the family to make more thorough decisions. Sixth, respect patient’s decisions and there are still other alternatives to improve interaction (Barrett et al., 1998, 182-183).
Reforming the health care delivery system to progress the quality and value of care is indispensable to addressing the ever-increasing costs, poor quality, and increasing numbers of Americans without health insurance coverage. What is more, reforms should improve access to the right care at the right time in the right setting. They should keep people healthy and prevent common, preventable impediments of illnesses to the greatest extent possible. Thoughtfully assembled reforms would support greater access to health-improving care, in contrast to the current system, which encourages more tests, procedures, and treatments that are either
Although health care questionnaires come in different languages, it can still be misinterpreted by the patient or their family. Without a way to communicate, the doctor can’t effectively treat the patient. One good example of this is the case from the book “The Spirit Catches you and you fall down”. In the book a Hmong family of refugees comes to the US and one of their daughters has epilepsy. They take her to the emergency room but are unable to communicate with the staff because they don’t understand or read English. When the doctors prescribe the little girl medication, the mother doesn’t understand how to administer it properly according to Western standards, so the child is taken by Child Protective Services. The family is given multiple chances, even being given a translator/counselor to make sure the child is getting the correct dosage. If there had been better communication, maybe the doctors could have adapted the treatment to the Hmong culture a little more so the mother could have had a chance to administer the medication correctly. In the article “Language: A Crucial Part of Cultural Competency” Jim McCaffree interviewed Laura McNally. Laura McNally works in the health care field so she knows firsthand the barriers of culture and language. McCaffree cites that “McNally says, though, “I’ve worked through interpreters, and it’s very difficult to work through an interpreter because it’s based on the interpreter’s understanding of what you’re telling them.” She adds that “in order for us to provide the care we need to provide, whether it’s in the hospital, in a community-based clinic, or out in the community, we have to be able to speak some of those languages.” (McCaffree