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1 | AN ACT concerning regulation.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 5. The Language Assistance Services Act is amended | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 | by changing Section 15 as follows:
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6 | (210 ILCS 87/15)
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7 | Sec. 15. Language assistance services. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
8 | (a) To insure access to
health care information and | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
9 | services for
limited-English-speaking or non-English-speaking | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
10 | residents and deaf residents,
a health facility must do one or | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
11 | more of the following:
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12 | (1) Review existing policies regarding interpreters | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
13 | for patients with
limited English proficiency and for | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
14 | patients who are deaf, including the
availability of staff | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
15 | to act as interpreters.
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16 | (1)
(2) Adopt and review annually a policy for | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
17 | providing language assistance
services to patients with | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
18 | language or communication barriers. The policy shall
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19 | include procedures for providing, to the extent possible as | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
20 | determined by the
facility, the use of an interpreter | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
21 | whenever a language or communication
barrier
exists, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
22 | except where the patient, after being informed of the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
23 | availability of
the interpreter service, chooses to use a |
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1 | family member or friend who
volunteers to interpret. The | ||||||
2 | procedures shall be designed to maximize
efficient use of | ||||||
3 | interpreters and minimize delays in providing interpreters | ||||||
4 | to
patients. The procedures shall insure, to the extent | ||||||
5 | possible as determined
by the facility, that
interpreters | ||||||
6 | are available, either on the premises or accessible by | ||||||
7 | telephone,
24 hours a day. The facility shall annually | ||||||
8 | transmit to the Department of
Public Health a
copy of the | ||||||
9 | updated policy and shall include a description of the | ||||||
10 | facility's
efforts to
insure adequate and speedy | ||||||
11 | communication between patients with language or
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12 | communication barriers and staff .
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13 | (2)
(3) Develop, and post in conspicuous locations, | ||||||
14 | notices that advise patients
and their families of the | ||||||
15 | availability of interpreters, the procedure for
obtaining | ||||||
16 | an interpreter, and the telephone numbers to call for | ||||||
17 | filing
complaints concerning interpreter service problems, | ||||||
18 | including, but not limited
to, a
T.D.D. number for the | ||||||
19 | hearing impaired. The notices shall be posted, at a
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20 | minimum, in the emergency room, the admitting area, the | ||||||
21 | facility entrance, and
the
outpatient area. Notices shall | ||||||
22 | inform patients that interpreter services are
available on | ||||||
23 | request, shall list the languages for which interpreter | ||||||
24 | services
are available, and shall instruct patients to | ||||||
25 | direct complaints regarding
interpreter services to the | ||||||
26 | Department of Public Health, including the
telephone
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1 | numbers to call for that purpose.
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2 | (4) Identify and record a patient's primary language | ||||||
3 | and dialect on one or
more of the following: a patient | ||||||
4 | medical chart, hospital bracelet,
bedside notice, or | ||||||
5 | nursing card.
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6 | (5) Prepare and maintain, as needed, a list of | ||||||
7 | interpreters who have
been identified as proficient in sign | ||||||
8 | language and in the languages of the
population of the | ||||||
9 | geographical area served by the facility who have the
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10 | ability to translate
the names of body parts, injuries, and | ||||||
11 | symptoms.
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12 | (3)
(6) Notify the facility's employees of the language | ||||||
13 | assistance
services available at the facility and train | ||||||
14 | them on how to make these language assistance
services | ||||||
15 | available to patients
facility's commitment to provide
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16 | interpreters to
all patients who request them .
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17 | (b) In addition to the requirements imposed under | ||||||
18 | subsection (a), a health facility may do one or more of the | ||||||
19 | following:
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20 | (1) Review existing policies regarding interpreters | ||||||
21 | for patients with limited English proficiency and for | ||||||
22 | patients who are deaf, including the availability of staff | ||||||
23 | to act as interpreters.
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24 | (2) Adopt a policy for language assistance services | ||||||
25 | that shall include procedures for providing, to the extent | ||||||
26 | possible as determined by the facility, the use of an |
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1 | interpreter whenever a language or communication barrier | ||||||
2 | exists, except when the patient, after being informed of | ||||||
3 | the availability of the interpreter service, chooses to use | ||||||
4 | a family member or friend who volunteers to interpret. The | ||||||
5 | procedures shall be designed to maximize efficient use of | ||||||
6 | interpreters and minimize delays in providing interpreters | ||||||
7 | to patients. The procedures shall ensure, to the extent | ||||||
8 | possible as determined by the facility, that interpreters | ||||||
9 | are available, either on the premises or accessible by | ||||||
10 | telephone, 24 hours a day and shall include a description | ||||||
11 | of the facility's efforts to ensure adequate and speedy | ||||||
12 | communication between patients with language or | ||||||
13 | communication barriers and staff. | ||||||
14 | (3) Identify and record a patient's primary language | ||||||
15 | and dialect on one or more of the following: a patient | ||||||
16 | medical chart, hospital bracelet, bedside notice, or | ||||||
17 | nursing card. | ||||||
18 | (4) Prepare and maintain, as needed, a list of | ||||||
19 | interpreters who have been identified as proficient in sign | ||||||
20 | language and in the languages of the population of the | ||||||
21 | geographical area served by the facility who have the | ||||||
22 | ability to translate the names of body parts, injuries, and | ||||||
23 | symptoms.
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24 | (5)
(7) Review all standardized written forms, | ||||||
25 | waivers, documents, and
informational materials available | ||||||
26 | to patients on admission to determine which
to translate |
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1 | into languages other than English.
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2 | (6)
(8) Consider providing its nonbilingual staff with | ||||||
3 | standardized picture and
phrase sheets for use in routine | ||||||
4 | communications with patients who have language
or | ||||||
5 | communication barriers.
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6 | (7)
(9) Develop community liaison groups to enable the | ||||||
7 | facility and the
limited-English-speaking, | ||||||
8 | non-English-speaking, and deaf communities to insure
the | ||||||
9 | adequacy of the
interpreter services.
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10 | (Source: P.A. 93-564, eff. 1-1-04.)
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11 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
12 | becoming law.
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