CyraCom recently partnered with Steward Health Care to create a case study. Steward is the second largest healthcare system in New England and offers a variety of services in over 150 Massachusetts communities. The following is an excerpt from our recent case study, focused on how Steward partners with CyraCom to provide a complete continuum of care. You can download the full version below:
Providing Ongoing Interpreter Access in the Hospital
During Steward hospital admissions, LEP patients receive cards printed in the area’s common languages. A patient can identify their preferred language by pointing to the text printed in that language. Steward equipped each hospital entrance with a CyraCom dual-handset blue phone for quick interpreter access.
When an LEP patient is admitted, clinical staff places a blue phone in their room to ensure they have access to an interpreter 24/7. The phone stays with the patient until discharge, so staff or care givers visiting the room can reach an interpreter with the push of a button.
Bringing In-Language Care into the Home
Steward’s home care professionals follow up with patients after discharge, making sure they understand and follow aftercare instructions. Steward's Carla Fogaren explained that CyraCom plays a critical role:
“Our nurses show up at the house – sometimes they know the patient speaks another language, but sometimes they don’t – and it’s a life-saving resource. They get on their smartphone and call an interpreter using the CyraCom mobile app, then use speakerphone to interact with the patient. Before that, their options were limited, often relying on anyone in the house who could speak a little bit of English. Now they always call the professional medical interpreter. The family can still be involved but not in an interpreter role.”
Beyond the Hospitals – Continuing the Conversation in the Physician’s Office
Steward’s commitment to providing quality care to all patients doesn’t end at the hospital door. Steward’s physician offices use CyraCom phone interpretation for follow-up appointments, and Fogaren sees this as an essential component of patient safety and recovery.
“Our 2,600 doctor affiliates have access to CyraCom, connecting interpreters to patients in the exam room,” she said. “Otherwise, we could do a fantastic job in the hospital, but what happens once they leave our door? What’s the continuum of care for these patients then? This is an important component of reducing readmissions as well.”
Steward Healthcare has had some great results and hopefully this article has given you a few ideas on how to improve the continuum of care with a quality language service program. Download our full case study to learn more about:
-How to build a leading in-house language services program
-How to research and implement a language services partner
-How to improve efficiency across different departments and locations
