Federal law requires only health care providers, not state governments, to make translators available for Medicaid patients who don't speak English. But Washington is one of a handful of states that considers it an obligation to help pay for the service. For years, any Washington health care provider that needed an interpreter could call an interpreters' agency directly and, on the state's dollar, arrange for a translator to accompany a patient to a medical appointment. Now, DSHS's medical assistance division uses brokers as middlemen: A health care provider needing an interpreter for a patient visit calls the regional broker who calls an agency and makes the arrangements.
The new system has had a dramatic effect on the state's translation bill. "We're actually saving twice what the legislature had targeted," says Medical Assistance Administration spokesman Jim Stevenson. The savings are being realized from a decrease in the rate interpreters are paid and from an increase in accountability--the brokers help ensure that all calls are from legitimate medical service providers.
This year the department is requesting bids on new three-year contracts for brokers who can handle both interpreter and transportation needs. The contracts will cover not only Medicaid patients but all DSHS clients.
