A new study from the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester indicates that hospitalized patients with limited English-language skills spend fewer days in the hospital when assisted by a language interpreter at critical times.

Researchers found that patients with access to language translation services were also less likely to be readmitted for the same reasons within the following month of their discharge.

"Not only does providing professional interpretation make good medical sense, so patients understand their diagnosis and understand the care they are receiving better, but it also makes good economic sense for hospitals," said Dr. Mary Lindholm, the study's lead author.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in 2009, the average inpatient visit in a U.S. hospital lasted 4.6 days and cost $9,200, or about $2,000 a day.

By cutting down length of stay and readmissions, the use of trained language interpreters could reduce overall cost of care for hospitals, Lindholm explained, meaning smaller bills for patients as well.

"If we can provide adequate interpretation, it is much less expensive than having to readmit someone or having to keep somebody in a day and a half longer," Lindholm said.

Alex Dupont

See Also

• More about medical interpretation
  On-site or over-the-phone medical certified interpreters can assist healthcare providers in communicating with limited English speaking patients and families in the medical field.
• Interpreters may help shorten hospital stays
  Hospitalized patients who aren't fluent in English end up spending fewer days in the hospital when they get help from a language interpreter at certain crucial times, according to a new U.S. study.