Category Archives: Language Access

Ensuring Meaningful Access to Health Care

There is a growing body of evidence that language barriers for individuals with limited English proficiency has a direct relationship to the quality of health care. Providing language assistance services can improve the quality of care and reduce health care disparities among individuals with limited English proficiency. Language assistance services include both verbal interpretation services and written translation services. There are many useful resources that can help support the many reasons for improving language access, including legal and regulatory requirements, patient safety, risk management, quality improvement and disparities reduction. Hospitals, health plans, community health centers and physician office practices have all demonstrated the feasibility and importance of ensuring language access.

Office of Minority Health: Enhanced National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services

Posted on April 24, 2013 by

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health (OMH) has released its long-awaited “enhanced” National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) in Health and Health Care.  The original CLAS standards were issued by OMH … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural Competency, Cultural Competency: Frameworks, Demographic Data, Demographic Data: Language Need, Demographic Data: Race and Ethnicity, Language Access, Language Access: Standards | Leave a comment

Commission to End Health Care Disparities: Appropriate Use of Physician’s Non-English Language Skills in Clinical Care

Posted on January 3, 2013 by

The Commission to End Health Care Disparities has released this publication on the appropriateness of physicians using their language skills in languages other than English while providing clinical care to patients with limited English proficiency (LEP). The Commission comprises more … Continue reading →

Posted in Language Access, Language Access: Best Practices, Patient-Centeredness | Leave a comment

What My Father Taught Me About Health and Health Care, About Life and Death

Posted on December 19, 2012 by

Three months ago, my father Andrew Shih Lun Bau passed away, peacefully, in his own home.  Next week, on Christmas Day, we would have celebrated his 93rd birthday. As someone who now seeks to improve both health and health care … Continue reading →

Posted in Health Care Reform, Health Care Reform: Medical Homes, Health Information Technology, Language Access, Language Access: Best Practices, Patient-Centeredness, The iBau Blog | 24 Comments

National Quality Forum Endorses 12 Healthcare Disparities and Cultural Competency Measures

Posted on December 14, 2012 by

The National Quality Forum (NQF) has endorsed twelve healthcare disparities and cultural competency quality measures.  With this NQF endorsement, payers, including federal government payers such as Medicare and Medicaid, and health plans, can use these measures in quality improvement activities … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural Competency, Cultural Competency: Evaluation, Health Care Disparities, Health Care Disparities: Stakeholders Engaged, Language Access, Language Access: Standards | Leave a comment

HHS Advisory Committee on Minority Health: Recommendations for Health Insurance Exchanges

Posted on December 3, 2012 by

The following was my presentation to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Advisory Committee on Minority Health on November 29, 2012 regarding the implementation of health insurance exchanges and other national health care reforms.

Posted in Demographic Data, Demographic Data: Gender Identity/Expression, Demographic Data: Language Need, Demographic Data: Race and Ethnicity, Demographic Data: Sexual Orientation, Health Care Disparities, Health Care Reform, Health Care Reform: Accountable Care Organizations, Health Care Reform: Advancing Equity, Health Care Reform: General Analysis, Health Care Reform: Medical Homes, Health Care Reform: Payment Reform, Health Care Reform: Quality Improvement, Health Information Technology, Health Information Technology: Meaningful Use, Health Literacy, Ignatius Bau: Presentations, Language Access, Language Access: Standards, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Health, Presenter | Leave a comment

California Pan-Ethnic Health Network: Advancing Equity by Building a Bridge From Eligible to Enrolled

Posted on March 1, 2012 by

This policy brief from the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, University of California Los Angeles Center for Health Policy Research and University of California Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education uses data from the 2009 California Health Interview Survey and … Continue reading →

Posted in Health Care Reform, Health Care Reform: Advancing Equity, Language Access | Leave a comment

National Quality Forum Call for Healthcare Disparities and Cultural Competency Measures

Posted on October 21, 2011 by

The National Quality Forum (NQF) has issued a call for healthcare performance measures related to healthcare disparities and cultural competency for consideration in its national consensus standards development process.  In August, NQF  published a paper authored by the Disparities Solution … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural Competency, Cultural Competency: Evaluation, Demographic Data, Demographic Data: Language Need, Demographic Data: Race and Ethnicity, Health Care Disparities, Health Care Disparities: Stakeholders Engaged, Health Information Technology, Language Access, Language Access: Standards, Patient-Centeredness | Leave a comment

Health Affairs: Agenda for Fighting Disparities

Posted on October 7, 2011 by

The October 2011 issue of Health Affairs is focused on issues of health and health care disparities.  Here are the articles in the issue, supported by the Aetna Foundation: Susan Dentzer. A Nation At Risk For Wider Health Disparities. Health … Continue reading →

Posted in Health Care Reform, Health Care Reform: Advancing Equity, Health Care Reform: Quality Improvement, Demographic Data, Demographic Data: Race and Ethnicity, Language Access, Language Access: Best Practices, Health Care Disparities, Health Care Disparities: The Evidence of Disparities, Health Care Disparities: Stakeholders Engaged, Health Care Disparities: Effective Interventions, Health Status Disparities, Social Determinants of Health, Healthy Neighborhoods and Communities, Patient-Centeredness | Leave a comment

National Quality Forum Requests Public Comments on Healthcare Disparities and Cultural Competency Measures

Posted on August 19, 2011 by

The National Quality Forum is requesting public comments on a commissioned paper from the Disparities Solutions Center describing issues regarding the selection and evaluation of disparity-sensitive quality measures, methodological issues with disparities measurement, and cross-cutting measurement gaps in disparities.  The paper and … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural Competency, Cultural Competency: Assessments, Cultural Competency: Frameworks, Health Care Disparities, Language Access, Language Access: Standards | Leave a comment

Texas Health Institute: Culturally Diverse Communities and Emergency Preparedness

Posted on May 19, 2011 by

The Texas Health Institute, with funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, has a toolkit on advancing the preparedness of diverse communities for public health emergencies.  The toolkit 1. Highlights the importance of … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural Competency, Language Access | Leave a comment