The Department of Justice announced a consent decree under the Americans with Disabilities Act with a community hospital that it hopes will serve as a model to other hospitals in providing medical care to deaf or hard-of-hearing patients. The consent decree resolves allegations that the hospital did not appropriately respond to requests to provide qualified sign language interpreters or other auxiliary aids for patients or companions.
Under the decree, the hospital will assess the communication needs of individuals with speech or hearing impairments upon their arrival or at the time an appointment is scheduled; provide qualified interpreters (on-site or video interpreting) within specified time limits, especially in circumstances involving lengthy or complex interactions such as admissions and detailed discussions of symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment; provide auxiliary aids to companions as well as to patients; and meet certain standards for video interpreting services, including high-quality, delay-free, full-motion video and audio over a dedicated high-speed Internet connection. This is the Department’s first agreement that includes criteria for video interpreting services, and the Department cautions that these services must be carefully monitored in hospital settings where patients may not be able to use their arms or be positioned appropriately to view the screen or to perform sign language.
