The Language Barrier Challenge in Public Health Services: In public health services, language barriers create significant challenges at every step of patient interaction - from scheduling appointments to providing medical care. Healthcare employees face the stress of relying on Language Service Providers (LSPs) or scrambling to find colleagues who speak the patient’s language. This results in delays in care, misunderstandings, increased frustration for both staff and patients, and poor patient outcomes. Without a reliable, scalable solution, patients may struggle to communicate their health concerns, understand prescriptions, or receive the appropriate follow-up care.
In the current world, without using VerbumCall from OneMeta, this is what healthcare services struggle with:
The Current Experiences:
Employee Experience:
Healthcare employees often find themselves frustrated when trying to communicate with non-English-speaking patients. They frequently rely on Language Service Providers (LSPs), which can result in delays and extra steps in communication. When an interpreter is not readily available, employees may need to search for a colleague who speaks the patient’s language, causing added stress and disruption to their workflow. The inefficiency of this process not only leads to burnout but also impacts overall job satisfaction. The constant struggle to bridge the language gap leaves healthcare employees feeling unsupported and overwhelmed.
Patient Experience:
Patients who don’t speak English can feel isolated and helpless during their healthcare journey. They often struggle to articulate their concerns, leading to misunderstandings and delays in care. The inability to communicate effectively with healthcare providers can exacerbate anxiety and stress, preventing patients from fully understanding their medical conditions, treatment plans, and follow-up instructions. For patients, this language barrier undermines trust in the healthcare system and prevents them from receiving the care they deserve. It also leaves them feeling invisible or unheard in what should be an empathetic, supportive environment.
The IT Experience:
IT teams in healthcare are often tasked with integrating telephony systems with Language Service Providers (LSPs), managing complex systems and configurations. These integrations often require additional resources and time to maintain, which can lead to frustration when issues arise and IT is blamed for communication breakdowns. However, the real challenge lies in the fact that IT teams frequently don’t have the time or capacity to thoroughly research the market for enterprise-grade AI translation and transcription solutions that address language barriers effectively while also prioritizing security. With increasing concerns about data privacy and compliance - especially in healthcare, where HIPAA and other regulations must be met - IT departments are under immense pressure to find secure solutions that protect sensitive information without compromising on performance. This leaves IT teams stuck in a reactive mode, struggling to manage urgent fixes rather than being able to proactively implement a long-term, scalable solution with the security built-in from the start.
Business Experience:
Senior management often underestimates the true cost of language barriers - the time lost, the operational inefficiencies, and the employee frustration that ultimately results in reduced productivity. Without understanding the broader implications, management may overlook the need for investing in comprehensive language solutions that address these issues head-on. Without a solution, the company continues to pay for inefficient processes, relying heavily on external LSPs and creating a reactive, resource-draining environment. Senior leadership may also struggle to see how implementing a tech-driven solution could relieve pressure on employees and enhance patient experience, while simultaneously improving operational efficiency and reducing costs.
The Solution:
VerbumCall by OneMeta, offers an Over-the-Phone (OPI) AI and Machine Learning transcription and translation solution designed to improve communication across different languages and enhance patient care, in over 120 languages and dialects available 24X7. With HIPAA compliance, GDPR certification, and ISO 27001 certification, VerbumCall ensures all data remains secure, meeting the highest healthcare regulations.
- Near Real-Time Translation: VerbumCall enables seamless communication between healthcare professionals and patients who speak different languages, ensuring swift appointment setting, accurate medical advice, clear instructions, and effective patient care.
- Automated Transcription: With every interaction, VerbumCall automatically transcribes conversations, providing accurate records for patient care and improving continuity of care.
- Multilingual Access: VerbumCall supports up to 120 languages and dialects languages, including common challenging languages in the US Public Health Service system like Spanish (Mexican dialect), Portuguese, French, as well as harder-to-source languages like Arabic, Ukrainian, Russian, Vietnamese, and Tagalog, making it a versatile solution for public health providers.
- Data-Driven Insights: Transcribed conversations can be analysed to improve patient care, enhance nurse-patient communication, and optimize training for healthcare professionals.
Real-World Impact:
By using VerbumCall, public health departments can eliminate the need for expensive third-party interpreters, reduce appointment scheduling confusion, and enhance overall patient satisfaction. Healthcare providers will be able to offer timely, accurate services, ensuring better patient outcomes while increasing efficiency and reducing costs.
Business Outcomes:
By adopting VerbumCall, public health organizations can expect:
- Improved Employee Efficiency and Satisfaction: Employees can focus on delivering patient care rather than scrambling to find translation resources.
- Better Patient Experience: Patients will feel heard, understood, and respected, leading to improved patient satisfaction and care outcomes.
- Reduced Operational Costs: By eliminating the need for third-party translation services, organizations can significantly cut costs.
- Improved Compliance: VerbumCall ensures that patient communication is accurately documented and fully compliant with healthcare regulations such as HIPAA.
- Increased Operational Efficiency: Near real-time transcription and translation streamline workflows, saving valuable time across the organization.
- Higher Retention Rates: Both employees and patients are more likely to stay engaged and satisfied when communication barriers are minimized.
Business Value:
- Cost Savings: Reduce reliance on external LSPs, saving operational costs.
- Increased Productivity: Empower employees to handle more patients with less frustration, improving workforce efficiency.
- Better Compliance: Ensure that all communication meets regulatory requirements, reducing risk.
- Scalability: The solution can scale easily with your organization as it grows, adapting to new languages and additional patient interactions.
- Improved Patient Care: Enhance the quality of patient care by ensuring clear communication and understanding at all stages of their healthcare journey.
Next Steps:
- Sign up for a one-week pilot to experience VerbumCall’s near real-time translation and transcription capabilities in action.
- Assess real-world effectiveness and the ease of integration into your current systems and workflows.
- Provide feedback on the first phase to fine-tune the solution and prepare for a broader deployment.
By partnering with OneMeta, public health services can eliminate language barriers, reduce operational costs, and improve both employee satisfaction and patient care. VerbumCall ensures effective communication, improving healthcare outcomes, and offering a cost-effective solution that meets the diverse needs of both patients and healthcare providers.