Fort HealthCare Establishes Phone Line for Spanish Speaking Patients
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Fort HealthCare is enhancing services for patients that have limited English proficiency or are native Spanish speakers through the development of a Spanish Phone Line. Spanish-speaking patients can call and leave a message regarding any assistance they may need with way-finding, appointment scheduling, follow-up care, and general customer service support. The calls will be returned by a contracted agency (Bilingual Training Consultants) three times a day during the week and once a day on weekends. Patients with billing concerns have the option of “pressing 1” to reach the Spanish Business Office line.
“Our communities are becoming ever more diverse,” says Marie Wiesmann, Fort HealthCare Manager of Quality and Integrated Care. “Fort HealthCare has long utilized a language bank to access the services of interpreters, but we’re finding patients need assistance outside the hospital and clinic environments as well.” Use of the line will be closely monitored to determine the nature of requests and to determine future services that may be necessary in serving the non English-speaking public.
Patients can access the line by calling (920) 568-5001. Emergency situations should still be handled through the 9-1-1 service.