Eliminating barriers for patients with limited English proficiency

The increasing number of patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) in the United States is an important issue for patients, physicians, federal and state government agencies, and insurance carriers. Physicians can actively address this healthcare barrier by becoming familiar with established state and federal guidelines and determining when appropriate linguistic services are required for their LEP patient populations. Physicians can ensure that appropriate care is administered to LEP patients by developing and monitoring plans that include training staff to identify and work with LEP patients, providing language assistance to LEP patients, and notifying LEP patients of special services.