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There Are Not Enough Bilingual Healthcare Professionals Today the medical system in the United States is, without a doubt, the most advanced in the world. Healthcare is the largest industry, and U.S. hospitals offer an amazing array of highly skilled services, and advanced therapeutics, using the latest technology. But, with the fast growth of the Hispanic population, hospitals have not been able to hire enough Spanish-speaking medical professionals. As a result, the 20 million Spanish-speakers in the U.S. suffer from inadequate care. For example, only 2% of RNs nationwide are Hispanic even though 12% of Americans are Hispanics. In California, almost 40% of the population is Hispanic, and almost 20% speak Spanish as a first language, while less than 5% of RNs speak Spanish. As a Result, American Healthcare has Left Hispanics Behind The problem is severe: medical errors in treating Spanish speakers have increased, Hispanics are increasingly unable to get the care they deserve, and there are increased demands on both urban and rural hospitals. And Hospitals Suffer from Increased Costs of Providing Care Almost 35,000 outpatient visits are made each year by Spanish-speakers, or hispanohablantes. When a patient and his healthcare professional do not speak the same language, communication becomes more more difficult, more time-consuming, and less accurate. Patients are unable to describe their symptoms, resulting in a need for more lab tests. For every one of these patient visits, when a language barrier exists between patient and provider: — The appointment lasts 20 minutes
longer than average (a 20% increase), resulting in higher staff costs Annually, the cost to U.S. providers and insurers is almost $1 billion: — At least $661 million USD in unnecessary testing
costs
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