Stratus Video Interpreting Partners With Intermountain Healthcare To Provide On-Demand Interpretation Services For Patients With Limited English Proficiency (LEP)

Utah’s Intermountain Healthcare has implemented Stratus’ medical interpretation services across its 22 hospitals and more than 150 clinics, using 750 mobile iPad units to provide on-demand translation for limited English proficient (LEP) patients.

Intermountain Healthcare of Salt Lake City, Utah, recently partnered with Stratus Video Interpreting for on-demand medical interpretation services, which will facilitate better communication and timely care for patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) and hearing loss. Stratus’ video remote interpreting (VRI) services will supplement Intermountain Healthcare’s in-house translators, enabling staff to quickly access qualified medical interpretation in nearly 200 different spoken and signed languages. The initial rollout featured 750 Stratus-linked mobile iPad units, which have been implemented across Intermountain Healthcare’s 22 hospitals and more than 150 clinics throughout Utah and southeast Idaho.

According to the Migration Policy Institute, Utah had the eighth fastest-growing LEP population in the United States as of 2010, with 235.2% growth over a 10-year period (1). The Institute’s findings also revealed that 73.1% of Utah’s LEP population speaks Spanish, followed by Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and Navajo; in Salt Lake City, 68.8% of the LEP population speaks Spanish, followed by Chinese, Vietnamese, Serbo-Croatian and African languages (1).

More recent U.S. Census Bureau reports indicate that 17.3% of Utah households and 21.0% of Salt Lake City households speak a language other than English at home (2). Furthermore, 133,359 Utah residents (5.2% of the state’s population) and 74,096 Salt Lake City residents (7.3% of the metro area’s population) speak English less than “very well” (3).

Stratus offers video remote interpreting services in the languages spoken by Utah’s top LEP populations, including Spanish, Chinese (both Cantonese and Mandarin), Vietnamese and Korean, as well as American Sign Language, Arabic, Bosnian, French, Haitian Creole, Nepali, Polish, Portuguese, Russian and Somali. More than 175 additional languages—including Navajo, Serbo-Croatian, African languages and others commonly spoken in Utah—are available by over-the-phone interpretation.

Intermountain Healthcare has made frequent use of Stratus’ on-demand medical interpretation services since the January 2015 rollout. In fact, the organization logged approximately 22,000 minutes of interpreting services within the first five weeks alone (4). “Sometimes the patient’s condition warrants immediate and fast access to those interpretation services,” said Dr. Adam Balls, Vice Chairman of the Emergency Department at Intermountain Medical Center. He had the opportunity to use Stratus’ sign language and Spanish video interpreting services shortly after the program launched, and reports that they were “very well received” (4).

“We are proud of Stratus’ successful partnership with Intermountain Healthcare, and we are dedicated to helping them provide the highest standard of care to LEP patients throughout Utah and from neighboring states,” said David Fetterolf, President of Stratus Video Interpreting. “When patients are able to communicate in their native language, it substantially reduces the risk of misunderstandings that can lead to costly or even fatal mistakes. It also helps put LEP individuals at ease, lessening the fear or anxiety many experience in medical settings.”

While Intermountain Healthcare will continue to provide in-person translators when available, Stratus’ medical interpretation services enable hospital and clinic staff to connect to qualified medical interpreters in less than 30 seconds. “This is particularly important in emergency cases, when mere minutes can mean the difference between life and death,” added Fetterolf.

In addition to the pole-mounted mobile iPad units deployed throughout Intermountain Healthcare’s facilities, Stratus-linked iPads will soon be made available to the organization’s hundreds of home-care nurses as well as on its Life Flight helicopters.

For more information on Stratus and its on-demand video interpreting services, including medical interpretation for deaf, hard-of-hearing and limited English proficient patients, visit www.stratusvideo.com.

About Stratus Video Interpreting:

Stratus Video Interpreting provides on-demand interpreter services by using technology to connect clients with interpreters in over 175 spoken and signed languages in less than 30 seconds. Stratus’ cloud-based video solution delivers an array of unique features to virtually any Internet-enabled PC, Mac, smartphone or tablet. Stratus clients use the technology to connect with their own staff interpreters, as well as with Stratus interpreters, who have years of healthcare and courtroom experience and hold multiple certifications. With Stratus, state-of-the-art video remote interpreting is made available with virtually no capital investment. Stratus averages 65,000 video calls a day, up from 40,000 in mid-2013. Stratus Video is the sister company of The Z (CSDVRS, LLC, dba ZVRS), which was established in 2006 and developed by and for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals, setting the industry standard as the nation’s premier Video Relay Service Provider and the first VRS Provider to receive a 5-year certification from the FCC. In 2014, Stratus was recognized as one of the fastest-growing privately held companies, ranking #3,827 on Inc. magazine’s Inc. 5000 list. For more information, visit www.stratusvideo.com.

1. Pandya, Chhandasi; Jeanne Batalova; and Margie McHugh. Limited English Proficient Individuals in the United States: Number, Share, Growth, and Linguistic Diversity; Migration Policy Institute; December 2011. migrationpolicy.org/research/limited-english-proficient-individuals-united-states-number-share-growth-and-linguistic
2. U.S. Census Bureau. “Household Language by Household Limited English Speaking Status”; 2009-2013 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates;report generated via American FactFinder; accessed May 18, 2015. factfinder2.census.gov
3. U.S. Census Bureau. “Language Spoken at Home by Ability to Speak English for the Population 5 Years and Over”; 2009-2013 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; report generated via American FactFinder; accessed May 18, 2015. factfinder2.census.gov
4. Iyamba, Nkoyo. “Intermountain Healthcare Hospitals Use Remote Video Translators for Better Care”; KSL News; March 24, 2015. ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=33964704