Los Angeles Times runs a great feature on the patient's right to language interpretation. The piece mentions the pending entry of Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center into the (Paras-managed) Health Care Interpreter Network.

Next month…UCLA joins the Health Care Interpreter Network, a cooperative of at least 17 California hospitals that share trained healthcare interpreters though a video/voice call center. The network requires its interpreters to take a 40-hour course and pass a competency test. When a patient requests an interpreter, hospital staff can access the network if no hospital-based interpreter is available via video- or telephone-conferencing. "Even a hospital which has a dozen full-time interpreters could often find it impossible to be available for every patient who needs interpreting," says Frank Puglisi, the network's executive director.

read the article

Chicago Sun-Times blogger Esther J. Cepeda took note of the achievements of the Illinois Video Interpreter Network (designed and managed by Paras and Associates):

Over the years, health-care providers have had to learn to handle patient issues with increased privacy and proper respect, but those efforts often sputter when there is no affordable professional available to translate.
Technology is stepping in, providing medical centers with highly trained medical interpreters 24 hours a day through the Illinois Video Interpreter Network...

read the article

NuHealth President/CEO Arthur A. Gianelli has announced the Long Island health system's acute care hospital, Nassau University Medical Center, will join the All Languages Video Interpreter Network—ALVINsm—managed by Paras and Associates.

“We are excited to provide our patients with a unique, automated video and voice call center that instantly matches the user needs to the best available interpreter, helping to reduce medical errors, improving customer service and patient safety, boosting productivity and helping us save funds relative to the cost of contracted interpreting services,” said Gianelli.

read the announcement

Georgetown University Hospital's language services team recently helped MedStar Health launch the MedStar Interpreter Network (MIN) - an on-demand, all-language remote interpreting system that reduces the Hospital's reliance on in-person interpretation.

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6.01.2009 Georgetown University Hospital
Selects Paras

Georgetown University Hospital in Washington DC will build a Paras and Associates ALVIN network to address it's growing need for interpreting. With 609 licensed beds and 1,100 physicians, GUH is one of the largest hospitals serving the DC area, and is part of the non-profit MedStar Health system. The hospital's implementation of ALVIN will help it make the most of its outstanding staff of Patient Care Coordinators, while dramatically reducing expenses for contracted interpreters.

4.28.2009
Central California's Largest Hospital Goes Live with Interpreter Network

Fresno-based Community Medical Centers (CMC), the largest health care provider in Central California, is the newest member of the Health Care Interpreter Network (HCIN). Community Regional Medical Center has gone live with an initial deployment of 14 video units, and two interpreter video stations. CMC's entry into HCIN is facilitated by a grant from the California HealthCare Foundation.

4.09.2009
Chicago Tribune Highlights IVIN

"It's clearly a cost-saving technology for hospitals because it helps reduce the whole issue of medical errors" says Michael King of the Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council, quoted in this article by Tribune reporter Bruce Japsen.

4.04.2009
HCIN Presentation at HIMSS

Paras and Associates presented a learning session about the experience of the Health Care Interpreter Network (HCIN) at the industry leading Health Information Management Systems Society.

3.21.2009
HCIN Presents at CHIA Conference

Staff from the Health Care Interpreter Network (HCIN) presented on standards of practice, training and continuing education of healthcare interpreters, highlighting issues unique to video interpreting, at the annual conference of the California Healthcare Interpreting Association (CHIA).

2.13.2009
"Paras & Associates is making leaps and bounds"

Business and globalization blog Global Watchtower featured this item on technological solutions to the shortage of qualified language interpreters. The piece cites the hospital video networks established by Paras and Associates, and features a YouTube video demonstrating video interpretation at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center.

2.05.2009
Fresno Community to Join HCIN

12.12.2008
UNM Hospital Goes Live

University of New Mexico Hospital has activated its ALVIN solution -- Spanish and Vietnamese interpreters at the main hospital are serving that campus, a rehab facility and two neighborhood ambulatory clinics. UNMH plans to add Navajo interpretation to the network at a later date.

11.14.2008
IVIN is Live at Sinai

The Illinois Video Interpreter Network (IVIN) is up and running, beginning with American Sign Language interpretation at Sinai Health System. Sinai's Deaf Access Program is a center of excellence, and its outstanding ASL interpreters are now available almost instantly. Spoken language interpretation will be added soon. IVIN is offered statewide by the Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council.

6.04.2007
ALVIN Now Supports ASL Interpretation

Paras and Associates has announced that ALVIN now offers instant access to trained American Sign Language interpreters. This service will expand to 24/7/365 coverage by September 1, 2007.

6.04.2007
PAA Profiled in East Bay Business Times

Paras and Associates was recently profiled in the East Bay Business Times. View a copy of the article.

10.15.2006
HCIN Officially Launched

The Health Care Interpreters Network was officially launched today. This network of California Public Hospitals has agreed to install ALVIN and to share interpreter resources. HCIN has four founding hospitals, and is open to applications for membership. For more information on HCIN, go to HCIN.org