Language Assistance Program and Cultural Competency
Provider Type
- Physicians
- Participating Physician Groups (PPG)
- Ancillary
Federal and state laws require that providers ensure all services, both clinical and non-clinical, are provided in a culturally competent manner and are accessible to all members, including those with limited English proficiency (LEP), limited reading skills, who are deaf or who have hearing impairment, disability, or have diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds. To assist in meeting these requirements, Health Net offers interpreter support and encourages providers to consider cultural competency courses through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority Health (OMH) as part of their continuing education. For more information, refer to OMH Think Cultural Health. OMH also has a no-cost, accredited maternal health care training available at Think Cultural Health.
The Institute for Healthcare Improvement has free downloads to improve plain language communication with patients under the Ask Me 3® program.
Health Net does not sponsor the trainings or materials. However, the Health Equity Department can customize cultural competency training to meet your needs.Health Net participating providers must comply with the following requirements. Care plans must be written at an 8th grade reading level. Health Net provides the translations in threshold languages upon request with documentation that the content is at an 8th grade reading level.
Linguistic Services Requirements
Participating providers are responsible for providing interpreters at no cost to members who require or request them. Participating providers must:
- Ensure that interpreters are available at the time of the appointment.·
- Ensure that members with LEP are not subject to unreasonable delays in the delivery of services.
- Use taglines and nondiscrimination notices (PDF) in correspondence sent to the member on Health Net's behalf that advise members that they can receive an interpreter in their preferred language at medical points of contact.
- Provide interpreter services at no cost to members.
- Extend the same participation opportunities in programs and activities to all members regardless of their language preferences.
- Provide services to members with LEP that are as effective as those provided to others.
- Providers may not request or require an individual with LEP to provide his or her own interpreter.
- Providers may not rely on staff other than qualified bilingual/multilingual staff to communicate directly with individuals with LEP.
- Providers may not rely on an adult or minor accompanying an individual with LEP to interpret or facilitate communication except in the following scenarios:
- A minor or an adult accompanying the patient may be used as an interpreter in an emergency involving an imminent threat to the safety or welfare of the individual or the public where there is no qualified interpreter for the individual with LEP immediately available.
- An accompanying adult may be used to interpret or facilitate communication when the individual with LEP specifically requests that the accompanying adult interpret, the accompanying adult agrees to provide such assistance and reliance on that adult for such assistance is appropriate under the circumstances. Providers are encouraged to document in the member's medical record the circumstances that resulted in the use of a minor or accompanying adult as an interpreter.
Interpreter Support
Health Net provides interpreter support for members with LEP at all medical points of contact.
Providers may also request in-person interpreters for clinical visits. Health Net recommends five days advance notice for in-person interpreters and 10 days for sign language interpreters. Telephone interpreters are available at the time of the appointment without prior arrangement. Allow adequate time before the appointment to get the telephone interpreter on the line. Refer to the provider Interpreter Services Flyer (PDF) for assistance.
A Language Identification Poster (PDF) is available to print and post in providers' offices.
For more information about how to work with an interpreter, refer to the Health Industry Collaboration Effort (HICE): Provider Tools to Care for Diverse Populations (PDF).
Cultural Competency Training
All providers are encouraged to participate in a cultural competency training course as part of their continuing education. HHS OMH offers a computer-based training program on cultural competency for health care providers at no cost. This program was developed to furnish providers with competencies enabling them to better treat the increasingly diverse population. Additionally, the OMH training offers continuing medical education (CME) units. For more information, refer to OMH Think Cultural Health. OMH also has a no-cost, accredited maternal health care training available at Think Cultural Health Education.
The Institute for Healthcare Improvement has free downloads to improve plain language communication with patients under the Ask Me 3® program.
Providers are encouraged to send their cultural competency certificate when requested by Health Net.
Providers who would like information about topics such as cross-cultural communication, health literacy or accessing interpreter services may contact Health Net's Health Equity Department.