Interpreter services are required by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the National Committee for Quality Assurance, and by the Office of Civil Rights. A medical practice that fails to accommodate hearing-impaired and non-English speaking patients could also be at risk under the ADA. Providers covered by the above organizations are required to provide professional services.

If clinicians with interpreter skills are not part of your practice or department, professional medical interpreters can be hired on a daily basis through an interpreter service pool. Interpreter services for telephone conversations are also available through phone companies and private groups.

Patients have the right to refuse and to use an interpreter of their own choosing.

• Get documentation in the patient's language of the refusal of professional interpreter services.
• Patients should be provided with informed consent that explains the treatment or procedure in their own language. Documentation should be included to substantiate the discussion in the patient's language, signed by the patient, and noting whether or not the interpreter was a professional or provided by the patient.
• Include the signature and contact information for the interpreter.