At Rifle, Colo.-based Grand River Health, dozens of staff members have become interpreters and saved the hospital thousands of dollars, NPR reported April 16.
The 57-bed hospital previously relied on patient family members, often siblings or children, to interpret for patients who do not speak English. But these ad hoc interpreters can lead to mistakes and misunderstandings. So two years ago, the hospital hired a medical interpreter and began a training program to turn its bilingual staff into interpreters.
Dozens of employees took the training. Now, they work in dual roles where they spend most of their time on their regular job — receptionist, radiologist or medical assistant — and work as on-call interpreters for Spanish-speaking patients. The dual role comes with a small pay bump while saving thousands for the hospital.
Grand River Health used to rely on virtual interpretation, but it has cut use down to one-third compared to previous years. The hospital has also seen a 50% increase in Spanish-speaking patients.
