Telemedicine company HealthTap will provide translation services during virtual group consultations with doctors, patients and their families.
The Palo Alto, Calif.-based company will facilitate translation in 21 languages including Spanish, Mandarin, French, Arabic and American Sign Language. HealthTap says they are the first telehealth company to pair group consults with translation services.
HealthTap has approximately 102,000 doctors in the U.S. who provide consultations 24/7 to patients around the world via text, video and voice technology. The company says it has customers in 174 countries and has even done virtual consultations in Antarctica.
“By enabling doctors to bring together specialists, family members and even translators, HealthTap is increasing access while simultaneously providing deeper, more comprehensive and more personalized care,” said Dr. Dariush Saghafi, a neurologist in Parma, Ohio, and HealthTap physician.
Nearly 9% of the U.S. population is at risk for an adverse event because of language barriers, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Approximately 57 million people in the U.S. speak a language other than English at home.
Language barriers could negatively affect treatment and discharge plans, causing complications and serious medication and medical errors.
HealthTap's new offering allows patients and caregivers to fully understand physicians' instructions while maintaining the patients' privacy on its Health Operating System information technology system, called HOPES, which is encrypted and HIPAA-compliant.
"We are superexcited to be pioneering this big step forward in removing barriers for millions of people to access healthcare when they need it most,” said Ron Gutman, HealthTap's founder and CEO.
