Strengthening our C.O.R.E: Project gives “Voyce” to patients, healthcare professionals

It’s 2 am, and you have a patient in the Emergency Department who doesn’t speak English. How do you ask about their symptoms? Or you have a non-English speaking inpatient who’s ready to leave the hospital. How do you provide discharge instructions?

For years, Language Services departments at Yale New Haven Health’s five hospitals have used staff interpreters and outside vendors to provide medical interpreter services. Clinicians can connect with interpreters 24/7 via video remote interpreter devices or phone to communicate with patients and family members or patient representatives.

With an eye toward improving these services, Patient Experience and Language Services launched a collaborative effort last year to explore other interpreter vendors. They engaged Digital and Technology Solutions and Corporate Supply Chain to help research and select a platform that would work for in-person and virtual care encounters in inpatient, ambulatory and home settings.

After a successful pilot program, YNHHS chose a company called Voyce to provide video remote interpreter (VRI) services. More than 1,000 Voyce VRI devices were deployed across YNHHS in May.

“Staff have reported noticeable improvements in connection times and the availability of rare-language interpreters,” said Crystal Jeter-Prince, interim system manager, Language Services. “The connections are better, and we’re receiving fewer safety reports related to interpreter quality.”

“In addition to a huge cost savings, this project has created improvements for the patient and staff experience that we are extremely proud of,” said Tina Bennett, YNHHS chief experience officer.

By working with stakeholders system-wide, aligning their workflows to a unified technology solution and consolidating the contract, YNHHS got new equipment, improved quality and service and saved $1.2 million annually in contract costs, said Lee Schwamm, MD, YNHHS senior vice president and chief digital health officer.

“By bringing business owners, frontline staff and digital teams together upfront and creating a shared vision, we were able to execute the migration from multiple local interpreter solutions to a system platform flawlessly,” he said. “This work embodies enterprise strategic alignment at its finest.”

In October, YNHHS will launch Voyce over the phone interpreter (OPI) services. Future phases will include Epic integration with the Voyce VRI devices and with Telehealth services. Watch for more communications on the transition.