Head: Healthcare and Cisco Service-Oriented Network Architecture
Deck: The Benefits of an Open, Flexible Architecture
The Cisco Collaborative Care Language Interpretation Service (LIS) is a distributed, flexible, video-based call center that gives healthcare providers seamless access to language translators. Timely and effective communications are essential to resolving the daily challenges particular to healthcare organizations.
Each day, precious time is lost during the cycle of care because physicians and staff without language interpretation services struggle to communicate with a multilingual patient population. Health care environments require timely, accurate, and secure access to language interpretation services to provide not only an adequate level of care, but in some cases a life saving service.
A California Healthcare Foundation survey found that 49% of patients reported not receiving required interpretation services. Hospitals partially fill this void by using multilingual physicians and staff; however, this can detract from their primary patient care duties. This void demonstrates the need for real-time, high-quality collaborative interpretation services from a dedicated group of healthcare-oriented translators. Healthcare language interpreter services, including sign language for the hearing impaired, provisioned over a Cisco Collaborative Care solution has been shown to:
- Improve the quality of communications
- Improve the utilization of interpreters
- Reduce misinterpretations during patient encounters
Translating the Needs of Patients and Clinicians
Healthcare interactions have unique communication and language interpretation requirements. Many patient encounters rely on visual indicators for proper comprehension of patient conditions, diagnosis, and treatment. Hence an audio-only interpretation may be inadequate for effective patient diagnosis and treatment. A hospital must not only provide language interpretation, but to optimize communication they need the interpreter to be present with the patient and clinician. However, providing interpreters with the required language and healthcare knowledge is virtually impossible for most organizations.
Cisco Collaborative Care Language Interpretation Service (LIS) integrates voice, video, and data communications over public and private networks to provide collaboration between healthcare providers, patients and patientsÂ’ families. Besides incorporating Cisco Unified Communications technology, which integrates voice, video, and data communications, and Cisco Medical-Grade Network architecture, which provides intelligent routing of communications, it also relies on the foundation of Cisco Service-Oriented Network Architecture (SONA).
SONA provides a foundation for access, security, and reliability in three layers:
- The Network Infrastructure Layer covers the various network locations from which users may access the Collaborative Care system. These include specific locations inside a hospital where the design follows a campus or branch-office design.
- The Interactive Services Layer brings in the unified communications, contact center, and security technology that allow video-based contact centers while still supporting the security necessary for medical information.
- The Application Layer encompasses IP video endpoints, the Cisco Agent Desktop (CAD), and customizable interactive voice response scripts to support the requirements of interpretation and translation.
These three layers provide the architectural foundation of Collaborative Care and delivers an innovative solution to the challenges of interpreting consultations in the medical industry.
Case Study Shows Clear Benefits
Health Care Interpreter Network (HCIN) is a nonprofit service in Northern California that manages more than 1,200 interpretations per month. A recent study indicated that HCIN realized the following benefits from its Cisco Collaborative Care solution:
- In-person interpreter productivity improved 200-300%
- Patient confusion due to language issues dropped from 82% to 18%
- Unnecessary patient fear decreased from 80% to 21%
- Lack of understanding of medications, preventative care, and self care due to language barriers reduced 58%
Locating qualified interpreters is a challenge for both urban and rural healthcare organizations. Hospitals in the United States must interact and consult with many patients who do not speak English as their primary language. Hospitals must also comply with regulatory requirements for interpretation services. For example, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the state of California both require hospitals to provide interpretation services based on patient demographics to obtain federal or state reimbursement for patient care.
Cross the Language Barrier with SONA
With SONA technology, Cisco Collaborative Care helps healthcare organizations eliminate barriers to effective clinician-clinician and clinician-patient interactive communication. SONA also provides a foundation that health care facilities can enhance to provide other services in addition to LIS.
