Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Cultural Competency in Healthcare: Health Plans and Providers Strive to Speak the Same Language

Manasquan, N.J., USA, May 30, 2006 – Almost 15 percent of Americans speak a language other than English at home or have a limited English proficiency, which often results in a cultural divide between patients and their health plans or healthcare providers. Many healthcare organizations are finding new ways to integrate cultural competency training into their orientations, meetings and lunch hours, as they detailed in an April 2006 online survey sponsored by the Healthcare Intelligence Network (HIN).

Cultural Competency in Healthcare: Health Plans and Providers Strive to Speak the Same Language is a complimentary executive summary examining how 110 health plans and providers are improving the quality of and access to care among culturally diverse populations in the United States. More than half of respondents currently practice at least a rudimentary cultural competency awareness program, with others hoping to begin initiatives in the coming year. To download this free report, please visit the HIN bookstore.

“Communication between patients and staff is obviously a key issue in providing services,” says Melanie Matthews, HIN executive vice president and chief operating officer. “Companies are discovering that being prepared for diversity results in both happier patients and improved outcomes. Based on the survey results, HIN is planning a future audio conference on the impact of cultural competency on healthcare quality.”

The six-page executive summary, Cultural Competency in Healthcare: Health Plans and Providers Strive to Speak the Same Language, also includes health plans’ and providers’ perspectives on:

• Time management and preferred formats for cultural training;
• Certifying staff members to conduct training sessions;
• Measuring results in the financial bottom line; and
• Challenges to cultural competency and the solutions health plans used to overcome them.

While the traditional classroom approach is utilized most often, 21 percent of organizations are using on-site "lunch n’ learn" programs, providing diversity training during the lunch hour. Fifty-four percent of responding providers and almost 72 percent of health plans make attendance at training programs mandatory for their entire staff. Employees' competencies can be measured with an instrument called Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA), which assesses sensitivity and cultural understanding as well as technical skills that enhance the ability to learn about the world.

To download this complimentary report, please visit the HIN bookstore.

About the Healthcare Intelligence Network---HIN is the premier advisory service for executives seeking high-quality strategic information on the business of healthcare. For more information, contact the Healthcare Intelligence Network, PO Box 1442, Wall Township, NJ 07719-1442, (888) 446-3530, fax (732) 292-3073, e-mail info@hin.com, or visit http://www.hin.com.

Contact: Patricia Donovan

Voice: (888) HIN-3530
Fax: (732) 292-3073
Web site: www.hin.com
pdonovan@hin.com