What is Video Conference Interpreting?

Background
In 2002, Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island (Neighborhood) was awarded a grant by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Hablamos Juntos Program to support the Su Salud Project, an initiative focused on improving access to quality to healthcare for the growing Spanish-speaking population. After witnessing the success of Su Salud, Neighborhood was determined to continue its efforts to reduce healthcare disparities among non-English speakers in the Greater Providence area.  In 2005, with the help of Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed, Neighborhood was awarded a one-year federal appropriations grant of $245,516 to purchase new types of medical interpreter devices. The grant has allowed Neighborhood to bring innovative technology through the introduction of Phraselators®, a hand-held translation device, and Video Conference Interpreting (VC).

Video Conferencing has allowed Neighborhood to purchase two in-house video conferencing devices and supply them to partners, Saint Joseph’s Hospital for Specialty Care’s Pediatric Department and Women & Infants Hospital Women’s Primary Care Clinic (WPCC), with corresponding equipment.

What is Video Conference Interpreting?
Video Conference Interpreting (VC) is a pilot program that helps Spanish-speaking patients confidentially communicate with their doctor in their language during a doctor’s visit. VC was launched in March 2006 and has since been requested by 421 non-English speaking patients.

How does VC work?
VC works by leveraging videoconferencing technologies with a dedicated in-house medical interpreter furnished by Neighborhood.  Through a secure video link established at Neighborhood, patients and their doctors can connect with a trained, qualified Spanish-speaking medical interpreter as the visit is occurring. With this technology, VC mirrors an actual doctor’s visit.

What happens during VC?
The patient and doctor at the hospital are linked by camera and monitors to the medical interpreter located at Neighborhood. Through two-way video and audio communication, the patient can ask questions of the doctor -- and vice versa -- which are translated by the offsite interpreter.  No one else can see or hear the visit and the session is not taped.

Who can use VC?
Under the grant, the service is available at no charge to all patients and families regardless of their insurance carrier.

Where is VC offered?
Currently, VC services are offered at Saint Joseph’s Hospital for Specialty Care’s Pediatric Department and Women & Infants Hospital Women’s Primary Care Clinic (WPCC).

When is VCI available?
VCI services are available Monday through Friday on a fixed schedule that alternates between St. Joseph’s and WPCC. 

Will VC be offered in other languages?
VC is a pilot program, so it is currently only offered in Spanish. If the program succeeds, Neighborhood hopes to expand it.

For more information on Video Conference Interpreting, please contact:

Brenda Whittle
Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island
bwhittle@nhpri.org
401-459-6157