Welcome Potential New Patients in Their Own Language

Hospitals are actually required to have a qualified medical interpreter on hand when treating patients who don’t understand English well enough to participate fully in discussion of their care (though, as a recent blog post on KevinMD points out, it’s a rule that is followed inconsistently, at best). Urgent care centers—especially those in an area with a high number of immigrant residents or businesses—may be well positioned to fill the gap for those patients. The smaller scale of most urgent care centers compared with giant healthcare systems is a key advantage here, as your business has a greater opportunity to build close ties with the surrounding community. Residents who speak the language may also be potential employees, giving you the chance to further cement your role as a valued employer and care provider. If you do decide to make your location more welcoming to potential patients by literally speaking their language, keep in mind that the forms you ask them to fill out should be in both English and their language(s). Alan Ayers discussed a related topic here in Clinica Mi Pueblo—Shedding Light on Urgent Care Solutions for America’s Uninsured Latino Population.