Doctor--no interpreter!

Sosie said:
Reba, I was trying to get a hold of her but her husband said she will be contacting me soon. Sigh..
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Don't worry about it. :)
 
Depending on how many deaf patients your clinic gets, the doctor may want to consider getting one of those videorelay service on TV (DeafTalk and one other such service).

If the clinic you go to is small, you may want to consider going to a major network instead. Bigger systems can afford interpreters.

But I do agree with other people. Find out why you didn't get your interpreter. Did someone forget to book one? Was a terp assigned, but she/he had to cancel at the last minute?

Often, receptionists are not experienced and may not know where to find a terp. If you know of terp referral agencies in your area, get their phone numbers and give them to doctor's office and educate them.

I had to give my terp agency's number to the HR manager at work because nobody knew how to obtain a terp. I did this also for a few doctors, especially the one that was using some obscure interpreter referral agency that I had never heard of till then.
 
Do you all bring proper terps to doctor? I always bring my mom or my sister if it's something I don't want mom know... :oops:
 
my normal doc didn't provide a terp last time for me either... but I scheduled only one day in advance... and of course I didn't have a terp at my urgent care visit... but i should have one on my follow up.
 
Wirelessly posted

ash345 said:
my normal doc didn't provide a terp last time for me either... but I scheduled only one day in advance... and of course I didn't have a terp at my urgent care visit... but i should have one on my follow up.
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How do ya'll deal with urgent care or ER visits?
 
sunny_signs said:
Do you all bring proper terps to doctor? I always bring my mom or my sister if it's something I don't want mom know... :oops:
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Deaf patients aren't supposed to "bring" any kind of terps with them, proper or improper. You don't bring your own nurse or phlebotomist with you, do you? The doctor hires a terp, and the terp should be at the office/hospital waiting for you.
 
Reba said:
Deaf patients aren't supposed to "bring" any kind of terps with them, proper or improper. You don't bring your own nurse or phlebotomist with you, do you? The doctor hires a terp, and the terp should be at the office/hospital waiting for you.
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I had that experience a few days ago. I went to a hospital for a second opinion, and the intake nurse asked me if I brought my own interpreter, who was standing there the whole time doing her job. I said, "No, it is the hospital's responsibility to get an interpreter." The nurse then asked the interpreter why she wasn't wearing a badge. The interpreter explained that a badge would be too distracting for the client. I felt like :roll: at the whole thing.
 
Beowulf said:
I had that experience a few days ago. I went to a hospital for a second opinion, and the intake nurse asked me if I brought my own interpreter, who was standing there the whole time doing her job. I said, "No, it is the hospital's responsibility to get an interpreter." The nurse then asked the interpreter why she wasn't wearing a badge. The interpreter explained that a badge would be too distracting for the client. I felt like :roll: at the whole thing.
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What?! You deafies don't have terps strapped to your backs like a backpack?


:lol:


Yeah, the badge thing. If I'm in places that issue them, I try to clip it to my purse strap instead. I noticed some people clip them on their waistbands. I loved the one place that had self-sticking "badges." (Not.) I put it on my black blouse to access the building, and then removed it for the assignment. Great except for the sticky residue it left behind. :mad:
 
KittenEyez05 said:
How do ya'll deal with urgent care or ER visits?
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Depends on where and when.

If I go to the Concord NH ER, they have an interpreter on call somewhere in the building during the daytime. In th evening or night, they call someone on the on-call list and I can wait until then (unless it was an extreme emergency like, say, bleeding out from my arm). They also have the videorelay service on a portable TV as an additional option.

Bigger medical systems like DHMC and CH (both in NH) would be better prepared with interpreters than an independent clinic, which may need education from you.

When you need urgent care but can wait till the next day, you can call now to inform the staff you need an interpreter. But if you need it now, just go to urgent care. The staff will call and hopefully will find someone to come immediately. If not, you can use notes.
 
My workplace, US Postal Service has a VRI which stands for Video Remote Interpreting that are used nationwide for businesses and hospitals. I believe that Sorensen offers it. Making an appointment with VRI is required at least 10 minutes before. I think it's a free service but it will cost $35 if the appointment is cancelled at the last minute. A live interpreter in person is so expensive everywhere so that's why PO stops hiring interpreters.
 
kristy2078 said:
Depends on where and when.

If I go to the Concord NH ER, they have an interpreter on call somewhere in the building during the daytime. In th evening or night, they call someone on the on-call list and I can wait until then (unless it was an extreme emergency like, say, bleeding out from my arm). They also have the videorelay service on a portable TV as an additional option.

Bigger medical systems like DHMC and CH (both in NH) would be better prepared with interpreters than an independent clinic, which may need education from you.

When you need urgent care but can wait till the next day, you can call now to inform the staff you need an interpreter. But if you need it now, just go to urgent care. The staff will call and hopefully will find someone to come immediately. If not, you can use notes.
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Yeah, I lip read and wrote notes, didn't understand everything, but life goes on. the doctor also wrote stuff down for me, which helped a lot. It would have been nice to have a terp though, but with having to go in when i did it wasn't an option... The urgent care place I went in to was pretty small, and didn't have anyone on call, and the service they go through (from what i was able to understand) didn't have anyone avalible.

If i would have gone to the er, they have "social workers" that are also terps most of the time, or they have on-call terps. (or at least this is how it has worked in the past... thankfully I haven't had to visit the hospital in prob 4 years) Last time I went to the er, I wasn't really using sign, but I couldn't understand a word the doctor was trying to tell me, so they ended up getting a voice interpreter (who just repeats what is said so you can lip read easier).
 
I had same issue that my wife made an appt with Orthodontics for my daughter's brace checkup. She requested him to hire terp few weeks before. On that day, she show up and Dentist said " I spoke with attorney and he told me that it is an optional so I don't have to hire interpreter and I just can write note back and forth". My wife was :pissed: and left. She called HR and explained about situation. They told her that Dentist is very wrong for asking Attorney opinion about ADA law. They found her different Dentist that will comply ADA law. So far, new dentist hired terp when my wife and daugther showed up on appointed day.

Often, Doctors, Dentist, and some business tend to run around and make excuses that they don't know how to hire terp. We gave them info and ph number of Interpreter service and they lose it later. That's not professional of them. They should be checking out Online or "walk their finger" on phonebook!! IT's all in there!! Sheesh :roll:

CAtty
 
darn it because not fair on responsibility, we complaint to because services reason emergency and high strict, I told many time hospital because nurse lazy ignore for interpreter not fair because reason serious, we are not happy because requires interpreter I have benefit to education interpreted!
 
My friend told me that his hospital already has a VRI which is portable (movable from room to room) and he loves it. Maybe some of you can ask your hospital to contact Sorenson or one of its competitors for more info about it since they might have not heard of it yet. I am sure they will want it for deaf patients because it's available 24/7. They will save alot of money on hiring an in-person interpreter whose rate is higher because of traveling. That's the reasons why my workplace, USPS has one.
 
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Shoshana said:
So I called the doctor (relay) and told them I need an interpreter at my appointment, I called like 3 weeks in advance and the told me NO PROBLEM and that they made note of it. I asked if I needed to call back to remind them and they said NO. So I show up for my appointment today, and tell them there should be an interpreter...they went to speak to the supervisor and told me no interpreter would be able to make it! They said sorry like 6 times though :/ not to mention the DR. had facial hair so was not the easiest to lip read
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I would have just told the Dr to give me what I need and just email me. Life is too short to add more frustration..
:deaf:
 
Shoshana said:
So I called the doctor (relay) and told them I need an interpreter at my appointment, I called like 3 weeks in advance and the told me NO PROBLEM and that they made note of it. I asked if I needed to call back to remind them and they said NO. So I show up for my appointment today, and tell them there should be an interpreter...they went to speak to the supervisor and told me no interpreter would be able to make it! They said sorry like 6 times though :/ not to mention the DR. had facial hair so was not the easiest to lip read
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Sighhhhh that does happen to me!!!! three fucking times! For all of my job interviews in this year, Second one was on August 14th, they told me over the phone there will have an interpreter ready to set on August 17th for job interview, so on that day I went there on time in waiting office room. The manager came up talking to me and I asked where is the interpreter? He was rude to me and puzzled. So he wrote a note to me that he could not do processing to do interview with me unless there is an interpreter bein present. He canceled my interview. I am waiting for reschedule interview and today is September 9th. What the fuck??
 
My wife is an interpreter and had just informed me that her appointment was to interpret for a Deaf patient in gum graft surgery. No pun intended, she never told me who, where and whatever can violate privacy issues.

Anyway, a surgeon told my wife any patient with Medi-Cal or anyone on SSI or SSDI can reimburse interpreting costs back. No cost to providers in providing interpreting for the Deaf.

I wonder what about Delta Dental? Blue Cross? other private health insurance? I am sure they are legally obligated to pay, not providers?
 
In NJ, patients like me have to call insurance and requested an interpreter. They will provide you one. That's how it work. I had done it many times and am happy with an interpreter.
 
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