You can view the webinar recording below. Supporting documents such as webinar slides, transcript, and additional resources are available to download by scrolling to the attachments section below.
Over 1.8 million individuals dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid speak a language other than English at home or do not speak English fluently.[1] Limited English Proficiency (LEP) is associated with lower quality of care and decreased access to health care services.[2],[3] Health plans serving dually eligible beneficiaries can play a key role in identifying and communicating language preferences to front-line staff and providers in their network to help remove language barriers to care.
This webinar provides an overview of strategies health plans can use to assess and meet diverse language preferences. Speakers share strategies for collecting language preference data and examples of how plans use this data to inform health plan operations, such as providing translation and interpretation services. Speakers also share strategies for hiring and training health plan staff to provide linguistically and culturally competent services.
By the end of this webinar, participants should be able to:
- Recognize the need for identifying and meeting language needs of members with LEP
- Identify a variety of methods for collecting member language preferences, such as using data provided by the state or health plan-generated data
- Recognize approaches to meeting language needs, including translation and interpretation services
- Identify strategies for hiring and training health plan staff to provide linguistically and culturally competent services
Featured Speakers:
- Marta Pereyra, Executive Director, Coalition of Limited English Speaking Elderly
- Albert Cardenas, Director, Customer Service, CalOptima
- Darci Graves, Special Assistant to the Director, CMS Office of Minority Health
Intended Audience:
This webinar is intended for staff of Medicare-Medicaid plans (MMPs), Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs), PACE organizations, Medicaid Managed Care Plans, and Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) who are interested in identifying and meeting the language preferences of their members to increase access to quality, person-centered health care.
References:
[3] Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Providing Language Services to Diverse Populations: Lessons from the Field. Retrieved from: https://www.cms.gov/About-CMS/Agency-Information/OMH/Downloads/Lessons-from-the-Field-508.pdf