ihp 140 milestone one
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3-2 Final Project Milestone One: Patient Engagement Activities and Communication Strategies
Giovanni Pacheco
Southern New Hampshire University
Professor Arroyo
November 12, 2023
Kaiser Permanente is a large health care company founded in 1945 that has over 309,000 employees. It serves in several states including California, Georgia, Colorado, Washington, Maryland and more. They offer a diverse number of medical services such as emergency, urgent care, behavioral health, physical and occupational therapy and more. They continue to grow in the United States and continue to expand their services by revolutionizing ways to improve their patient health outcomes. There are several strategies that Kaiser Permanente uses to improve patient engagement and communication. For example, they offer interpreter services for non-
English speakers in multiple languages such as Spanish, Mandarin, American Sign language, and
more. Their interpreter services offer up to 150 languages for their members. Kaiser Permanente also offers language assistance such as auxiliary aids and services, that are free of charge. Although they offer over 150 different language interpreter and translation services, not every language is available (kaiser Permanente, 2022). For example, Kaiser Permanente states that language prevalence varies across service areas. Data is collected from each healthcare facility to determine the most common languages preferred by their patients monthly. This allows Kaiser Permanente to receive data periodically to ensure they are meeting their patients’ needs to provide the best quality care (Kaiser Permanente Diversity Council, 2023). For patients whose language is not available, Kaiser Permanente discourages the use of using a non-qualified interpreter such as a family friend, adult family member and minor children. There are state laws that prohibit the use of personal interpreters due to liability of misinterpretations, and patient privacy. It is important to note that when Kaiser Permanente does not have a translator onsite for a language not frequently requested, they use a third-party contractor service that offers trained interpretation services. These interpreters are immediately available over the phone or from video calls that meet the qualifications desired.
As a patient of Kaiser Permanente, I see posters across their facilities advertising flu shots in multiple languages. Furthermore, I see pamphlets regarding healthy eating or other services Kaiser Permanente offers advertised in multiple languages. The Languages I seen myself typically are in English with translations in Spanish, and Chinese dialect. No cost educational courses are offered by Kaiser Permanente, for example, wellness coaching, healthy eating, fitness and exercise, and senior living to name a few. However, they only offer these educational courses to English and Spanish speakers in most areas. As previously mentioned, Kaiser offers services in different languages based on the data they gathered from their patients. In San Francisco, Kaiser offers educational courses in English, Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, and more. Due to San Francisco’s diverse population, these are the most common languages used in the area by their patients.
Kaiser Permanente is always focused on training their staff to foster cultural competence. For example, they host workshops to train individuals about the importance of delivering culturally competent care. Diversity Inc. has named Kaiser Permanente to be in their Hall of Fame for several years for training their staff in diversity in the workplace. They focus on retaining and promoting women, minority groups, people with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQ community. Monthly training courses are hosted to ensure every staff member gets the opportunity to train and refresh their minds with current information. It is important for staff to be culturally competent to eliminate room for personal bias, and make all people feel safe when they are seen. Furthermore, it reduces stereotypes and increases awareness of personal assumptions.
Although Kaiser Permanente does their best to eliminate deficiencies, there are some things they can improve on. For example, improving the preferred method of communication for
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their patients. Kaiser Permanente offers interpreter services using third-party contractors. What happens if power goes out or a storm drops or weakens the signal? I think having strong multi-
language personnel on site will decrease wait times for interpretation services from the contractors. A multilingual workforce increases communication skills with patients, builds trust, and increases morale of the employees (Lytle, 2023). Another deficiency is the data that Kaiser Permanente collects regarding their patient preferences, such as language. Demographic data for Kaiser Permanente is limited due to only allowing patients to select one racial or ethnic group required by Federal and State. Multiracial members may not identify with their ethnic group, but they may with a particular racial group causing misrepresented data. Culturally appropriate services may be affected due to the limited data obtained.
References
Kaiser Permanente. (2022). Policy title: Qualified interpreter services for limited English. Retrieved from https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/content/dam/kporg/final/documents/member-
services-information/policies/Qualified-Interpreter-Services-for-Limited-English-
Proficient-Persons.pdf
Kaiser Permanente Diversity Council. (2023). Practice guidelines - Care management disease kaiser Permanente. Retrieved from https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/content/dam/kporg/final/documents/community-
providers/hi/ever/provider-manual-section14-en.pdf
Kaiser Permanente Mental Health Training Program Northern California. (2023). Equity, Inclusion and Diversity. Retrieved from https://mentalhealthtraining-
ncal.kaiserpermanente.org/equity-inclusion-and-diversity/#1690479858968-ae649980-
a7ad
Lytle, H. (2023). Cultural competence in healthcare: A worthy discipline. Forbes. Retrieved from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2023/02/07/cultural-competence-in-
healthcare-a-worthy-discipline/?sh=2bfa5084510c