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Language Services and Patient Safety:
How to engage Physicians and Staff

Featuring The Joint Commission and Memorial Health System

Tuesday, February 16, 2010 1pm – 2pm Eastern; 12 noon – 1pm Central; 10am – 11am Pacific

Download the slides

Watch a recording of the webinar

For resources by The Joint Commission, click here.

Wide disparities exist in the provision of language services in spite of legal requirements and guidelines on how to meet them. There are multiple reasons for the lack of adoption of language services, the lack of physician and staff buy-in being one of the most important. In a 2007 report1, Amy Wilson-Stronks and associate identified that in some cases the resources are available, but are not being used or processes are not being followed.

In this webinar the speakers will discuss how improved safety has been achieved in other areas and how incorporating language services in broader patient safety initiatives can improve awareness and adoption. The results of a Memorial Health System patient safety initiative will be presented with connections made to larger physician and staff engagement around language services.

1 Wilson-Stronks A, Galvez, E. Exploring Cultural and Linguistic Services in the Nation’s Hospitals: A Report of Findings. Oakbrook Terrace: The Joint Commission; 2007.

What you will learn

  • The Joint Commission’s most recent efforts to set new standards to improve patient-provider communication
  • Memorial Health System’s efforts to diagnose safety culture through peer observation and feedback
  • A multi-dimensional model of safety performance that treats injury reduction within the context of the whole organization, including its systems, culture, and leadership
  • The connection between improved patient-provider communication and improved health outcomes

Meet the speakers

Amy Wilson-Stronks, MPP, Project Director, Division of Quality Measurement and Research Principal Investigator, Hospitals, Language, and Culture Study, The Joint Commission

Matthew Krathwohl, Executive Director Performance Excellence & Strategic Alliances, Memorial Health System, Indiana

David Libby, Principal Consultant, BST, a Global Safety Consulting Firm

Jonathan Levy, Director Language Services, CyraCom