Overcoming Document Translation Challenges: Healthcare Provider Saves $4 Million/Year

Background

A regional US healthcare services company faced a daunting challenge in complying with the complexities of the 2023 CMS Final Rule on health equity. This mandates the delivery of healthcare communications in multiple languages, including Arabic, Italian, Korean, Russian, Tagalog and Vietnamese, and accessible/alternate formats, including braille, large print, audio, and accessible PDFs. Signing up for Crawford Technologies’ AccessibilityNow® Translate solution, the company was able to achieve cost savings of $4 million/year in translation and document formats.

The manual translation and alternate format processes were not only time-consuming but also error-prone, leading to significant operational inefficiencies. With a workforce dedicated to this task, the company incurred over $400,000 in monthly expenses, diverting critical resources away from patient care. The average turnaround time for producing a translated and accessible document exceeded 72 hours, often resulting in delayed communication and potential compliance risks.

The Challenge

The healthcare services company’s manual translation and alternate format processes were characterized by several key challenges:

High Costs. The company allocated a substantial budget of over $500,000 per month to a process dedicated solely to translation and formatting tasks. This represented a large percentage of the department’s overall operational budget.
Inefficiency and Delays. The manual process was time-consuming, with an average turnaround time of 5 days per document. This resulted in delays getting communications to patients, increased customer inquiries, and resulted in compliance risks.
Inconsistency and Quality Control. Maintaining consistent formatting and terminology across multiple languages and document types was a significant challenge. Ensuring accuracy and adherence to regulatory guidelines required rigorous quality control measures, which were time-consuming and resource-intensive.
Scalability Issues. The manual process struggled to keep pace with increasing volumes of documents and the growing number of required languages and accessible/alternate formats.
Lack of Standardization. The absence of standardized processes and tools for translation and formatting led to inconsistencies and inefficiencies. This lack of standardization hindered knowledge transfer, training, and the ability to implement process improvements.And worst of all, plan members received inconsistent and sometime misleading information.

Results and Impact

Cost Savings: The implementation of AccessibilityNow Translate yielded substantial improvements across various metrics. Prior to the solution, the healthcare services company incurred costs exceeding $400,000 per month for manual translation and formatting. With AccessibilityNow Translate, these costs plummeted to a fraction of the original expenditure, resulting in annual savings of over $4 million per year.

This case study demonstrates the potential for significant cost savings, even for a regional healthcare provider. Larger healthcare organizations with higher document volumes can anticipate even more substantial returns on investment. By automating the translation and formatting processes, these organizations can reallocate resources towards other operational needs and strategic initiatives.

Turnaround Time Improvements: Beyond financial benefits, the solution significantly enhanced operational efficiency. The average turnaround time for document translation and alternate/accessible formats decreased from a laborious 5 days to an astonishing 2-3 minutes per document. This dramatic acceleration streamlined workflows, reduced bottlenecks, and enabled the company to meet strict regulatory deadlines with ease.

Translation Accuracy: Moreover, AccessibilityNow Translate played a pivotal role in elevating patient satisfaction. By providing timely and accurate translations and formatting of critical healthcare information in multiple languages, the company demonstrated a strong commitment to inclusivity and accessibility. This enhanced member experience and strengthened the company’s reputation as a patient-centered organization.

Compliance: Compliance with CMS regulations was another critical area where AccessibilityNow Translate delivered tangible results. The translated documents were also remediated into WCAG compliant PDFs so they could be loaded directly into the patient portal. The vendor’s ability to also produce alternate formats such as braille and large print, in addition to multiple languages, ensured that the company adhered to all regulatory requirements. This mitigated the risk of penalties and legal repercussions, providing peace of mind for the organization.

Summary: the implementation of AccessibilityNow Translate proved to be a transformative decision for the healthcare services company. The solution delivers substantial cost savings, improved operational efficiency, enhanced patient satisfaction, and ensures regulatory compliance. These combined benefits solidify AccessibilityNow Translate’s position as a strategic tool for the company.

Conclusion

The experience of this healthcare services company underscores the profound impact that AccessibilityNow Translate can have on organizations that deal with a diverse customer base with different ethnic backgrounds. By automating the translation and formatting of documents, the solution liberates valuable resources, accelerates processes, and enhances overall operational efficiency.

Furthermore, Crawford Technology’s commitment to accessibility and inclusivity sets it apart from traditional translation vendors. The ability to provide accurate and timely document translations in multiple languages, coupled with support for alternate/accessible formats, demonstrates the solution’s potential to improve customer experience and strengthen community relations.

As the healthcare industry continues to evolve, the demand for multilingual and accessible communications is rapidly increasing. Crawford Technologies has positioned the AccessibilityNow® platform to be at the forefront of this trend, empowering organizations to deliver exceptional patient care while meeting regulatory obligations. By investing in innovative solutions such as these, healthcare providers can build a stronger, more resilient future.