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The Health Care
Authority (HCA) is sending you this update covering new developments and
reminders about interpreter services you, as a provider, can access for your
Apple Health (Medicaid) patients.
Interpreters: Click on information for spoken and ASL interpreters to the right or scroll to the bottom of this newsletter.
- A list of currently contracted CTS LanguageLink (CTS) interpreters, by county and language, is
now available on our website.
- HCA is currently working on two new interpreter service procurements, one
for telephonic and video remote interpreting (VRI) and another for face-to-face interpreting, with a new
contract expected to be in effect July 1, 2018.
- HCA is working with CTS on new policies for ASL interpreters.
- A new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) took effect July 1, 2017. Changes
include:
- Interpreter rate of pay.
- Travel, ferry fares, parking and toll fees reimbursement.
Effective July 1, 2017, interpreters
contracted through the HCA vendor, CTS, will be paid $38.50
per hour for in-person, spoken language service appointments. Telephonic
services are paid at $.60 per minute, with a 3-minute minimum; VRI is paid at $2.85 per minute for the first 10 minutes and $.60 per
minute thereafter.
Interpreters will be
reimbursed for costs incurred for ferry fares, parking, and toll fees to medical
and social services-eligible jobs. Block time appointments are exempt from reimbursement.
DSHS has initiated a travel pilot project within
the CBA that includes reimbursement for travel more than 30 miles one way from
the interpreter's home or place of business or from a DSHS-scheduled Social Service appointment. For more
information regarding changes to the CBA, visit the Office of Financial
Management (OFM) to review the complete CBA for Language Access Providers (LAP).
HCA continues to assist providers, including the Department of Social & Health Services (DSHS), to ensure limited English proficient speaking (LEP) and deaf and hard of hearing clients eligible for Apple Health have meaningful communication and access to medical and social service appointments. This service is available to you free of charge and supports your Title VI responsibility to provide meaningful access to your LEP clients.
Through HCA’s Interpreter Services (IS) program, you have access to interpreters for more than 35 languages, including ASL. Program staff continually work to provide an effective and efficient process for requesting and using interpreters for Apple Health LEP and ASL clients.
Participation in this program is voluntary. By choosing to use HCA’s
state-paid interpreter services, you must follow the program rules and guidelines.
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Scheduling appointments: Appointments should be scheduled in advance to give plenty of time for interpreters to accept their appointments. This also ensures that client Apple Health eligibility can be verified at the time of the request. Appointments can be scheduled on the same day of service; however, scheduling in advance gives the appointment a better chance of being filled.
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Cancelling appointments: Providers must cancel appointments as soon as it is possible. Once you know that you no longer need an interpreter, cancel the appointment through the online scheduling system or immediately contact CTS, refer to How do I cancel an appointment? under Provider FAQs and resources. This will free the interpreter to accept other work and use state and federal funds more efficiently.
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Appointment locations: Review your appointment addresses to ensure they are accurate. Incomplete or wrong addresses may cause interpreters to be delayed. This means you may not be able to serve your patient timely.
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Specific interpreters: Specific interpreters can only be requested when medically necessary. Please review WAC 182-500-0070 for the definition of medically necessary. Further details can be found at CTS LanguageLink FAQ.
As a CTS-contracted interpreter, you have agreed to provide interpreter
services for medical or social service jobs through CTS. In order
to continue to contract with the vendor, all interpreters must abide by the
rules as outlined:
- Comply with the RID-NAD Professional Code of Conduct for ASL interpreters.
- Comply with the health insurance portability and
accountability act (HIPAA) requirements.
- Present picture identification and DSHS or RID certificate or authorization letter to the
provider or LEP/ASL client when requested.
- Comply with the rules and safety guidelines
for each facility.
Check-in and check-out process
As a CTS-contracted interpreter, you must check-in and check-out for your
scheduled appointments. This ensures timely payments are made to CTS and then you, as a small
business owner.
If you have questions or concerns regarding your check-in or -out
times, contact CTS directly.
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