Oregon Administrative Rules › Chapter 950 - OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY, OFFICE OF EQUITY AND INCLUSION › Division 50 - STANDARDS FOR HEALTH CARE INTERPRETER REGISTRY ENROLLMENT AND REQUIREMENTS TO WORK WITH QUALIFIED OR CERTIFIED HEALTH CARE INTERPRETERS › Section 950-050-0160 - Health Care Provider Requirements

Current through Register Vol. 63, No. 7, July 1, 2024
(1) Beginning July 1, 2022, for onsite
			 interpreting and no later than July 1, 2023, for remote interpreting, health
			 care providers shall work with qualified or certified health care interpreters
			 from the Authority's health care interpreter central registry when arranging
			 for or providing services to a person with LEP or who prefers to communicate in
			 a language other than English or who communicates in signed language.
			 Exceptions are allowed when the provider:
(a)
			 Has documented proficiency in the preferred language of the person with limited
			 English proficiency or communicates in the signed language of choice. Evidence
			 of proficiency shall be made available to the Authority and relevant provider
			 licensing and certification boards upon request. In addition to documenting
			 proficiency, the health care provider shall adopt a language services policy,
			 and abide by language proficiency requirements, consistent with nationally
			 recognized professional standards of care as outlined by organizations such as
			 the American Medical Association, the Joint Commission, the National Committee
			 for Quality Assurance or another equivalent national standard; or
(b) Has made a good faith effort to obtain a
			 health care interpreter from the central registry and has found that none are
			 available to provide interpreting. In this circumstance, the health care
			 provider may work with the non-registered interpreter for that visit or episode
			 of care. For each visit or episode of care that a provider works with a
			 non-registered interpreter, the provider shall create and maintain records of
			 the good faith efforts made by the provider to work with an interpreter from
			 the central registry. Evidence of good faith efforts shall be made available to
			 the Authority and relevant provider licensing and certification boards upon
			 request. The Authority may release additional guidance on good faith efforts in
			 the future. At a minimum, providers shall develop and maintain policies,
			 processes, and outcomes describing:
(A) The
			 steps the provider takes to work with an interpreter from the central registry
			 for a health care appointment;
(B)
			 The efforts the provider makes to reduce reliance on interpreters who are not
			 on the central registry; and
(C)
			 How the provider efforts are increasing the number of health care interpreting
			 appointments scheduled with interpreters from the central registry;
			 or
(c) Has maintained
			 records that the person with LEP or who is Deaf or Hard of Hearing was offered
			 services of a health care interpreter from the health care interpreter central
			 registry at no cost to the person with LEP or who is Deaf or Hard of Hearing
			 and the person with LEP or who is Deaf or Hard of Hearing has declined and
			 chosen a different interpreter.