The LanguageLine Solutions(R) interpreting app is available in Epic’s App Market. Once the LanguageLine app is implemented, clinicians can invite a professional medical interpreter directly from the Epic Electronic Health Record (EHR) platform in more than 240 languages.
LanguageLine is the world’s foremost supplier of on-demand interpretation and translation services, as well as the language-service industry's technology leader. Thousands of healthcare organizations – including 18 of North America’s top 22 hospital systems — currently use LanguageLine for on-demand interpretation. The integration with Epic extends the power of the LanguageLine app to the charting application physicians use for nearly every appointment.
LanguageLine’s integration with EHR platforms makes on-demand interpretation universal in treatment rooms. Clinicians who care for limited English speakers, the Deaf, or Hard of Hearing have on-demand access to 20,000 medical interpreters directly from their EHRs.
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Given their now ubiquitous access to on-demand interpretation, clinicians can provide improved care to vulnerable populations, leading to greater patient satisfaction and health outcomes. Thanks to the integration, medical professionals can also expect to see dramatic operational efficiencies, saving highly-skilled clinicians valuable time.
“When two great technologies come together, paradigm shifts happen,” LanguageLine President and CEO Scott W. Klein said. “By making professional medical interpretation available in every hospital room, doctor’s office, and community clinic, we are creating an inflection point in healthcare equality.
“We heard our clients who use Epic as their system of choice when they told us that it would be ideal if they could access interpreters seamlessly through the platform. This will result in better care with improved workflows for physicians.”
Once the interpreting app is implemented from Epic’s App Market, caregivers can invite an interpreter on-demand from within their EHR via the touch of a single button. Connections are typically made in 15 seconds or less. Video and audio-only formats are offered, and no appointment is required. Language interpretation is available in more than 240 languages, including American Sign Language (ASL). The service can be accessed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Sessions are encrypted and documented in the EHR, allowing for a timely, accurate record of the patient’s interpretation history – streamlining a process that clinicians used to complete manually.
“Our goal is to revolutionize the language-access experience,” Klein said. “Not just the interpretation session itself, but the workflows that happen before and after the session, as well. The presence of the LanguageLine app on the Epic EHR creates significant time savings so that busy clinicians can focus on patient care.”
There is no need for a caregiver to select a language if one is already recorded in the patient’s chart. Building an interpreter session history into a patient’s record also helps providers ensure compliance with regulations outlined in Section 1557 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
During the session, the Epic EHR sends LanguageLine fully secured data such as the patient’s first and last name, provider ID, and medical record number. In return, LanguageLine writes back to Epic a session date and time, language requested, unique session ID, and interpreter name and ID number.
“The result of this integration is saved time for caregivers, as well as improved accuracy, efficiency, and staff morale,” Klein said. “Busy healthcare administrators can now access the data they need to ensure compliance and support reimbursement, all within the Epic environment.”
To be included in the App Market, LanguageLine employed industry-standard best practices and underwent an extensive technical-readiness review.
The LanguageLine app is easy to implement, as it is compatible with Tesseract, Epic’s API gateway, which streamlines the installation process. The app was developed using the SMART on FHIR standard that is widely employed by the healthcare industry. SMART on FHIR apps break down integration barriers while maintaining strict security standards so that patient-care improvements can be made faster.
The LanguageLine interpretation app is also compatible with other EHR systems, such as Cerner and Allscripts, as SMART on FHIR apps have become the preferred industry standard.
Those interested in learning more about LanguageLine’s integration with Epic should call 800-752-6096 or email customercare@languageline.com.
