Interpreter Services

The State of Iowa recently started paying for interpreter services and we are very happy but one of the requirements is that the interpreter cost must be documented in the patient record. Since we have interpreters that are on staff that would mean revealing the salary + benefits in the patient record and we consider this confidential.

I am wondering how others are handling this sensitive information?

Thank You,
Louise

You are lucky!

I have never heard of anyone paying for this. I would calculate their yearly pay, benefits, etc and calculate an hourly rate and use that number. No one will be able to calculate the wage from that number with all the various taxes, etc stuck in it. Or you can eat the cost if you are worried.

Interpreters

What do you mean you have interpreters on staff? In order to charge for interpreters they have to be certified interpreters, not employee's that happen to know the language (sign language included). You can't charge unless they are professional interpreters. We have a language bank where I work and we will call on employee's to help out when needed but that is a compliance issue, all patients are entitled to "INFORMED CONSENT" and communication with the providers, the employee is already on payroll, we don't charge a fee for employees volunteering to assist with the language line.

We contract with an agency for interpreters for the deaf, not to do so is discrimination. When an agency interpreter is called in, they company bills a flat hourly fee and that is the amount which is charged.

Sharon

interpreter

We have employees are are certified interpreters and are paid for interpretation services only. Some of them have other jobs at the medical center but when they perform interpretation services they are paid under a separate cost center.
This is different from the doctor or nurse that is in the room getting paid for medical care and just happen to speak a needed language. We would not bill for that scenario.
The memo sent out by the DHS in Iowa is very explicit that we cannot charge interpreter services unless the employee is working as an interpreter with proper certification.
We still have some issues to resolve with billing only Medicaid recipients and not everyone else. I am searching the federal regulations to see if we MUST bill all carriers or if since this is a carrier specific instruction if we can just bill Iowa Medicaid and not all insurance.