Medicaid Reimbursement Now Available For Medical Language Interpreting Services

“Providers of outpatient health services who utilize medical interpreting services are now eligible for reimbursement through Medicaid Managed Care and Family Health Plus Plans,” said Theresa Slater, Empire Interpreting Service (EIS) President.

“This reimbursement became available Oct. 1 last year and retroactive billing is acceptable,” Slater said.  “Many providers across NY State are still not fully aware of this.  The new reimbursement can be a tremendous help to providers who utilize the services of professional Medical Interpreters in order to abide by regulations from the ADA and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.  Previously, providers have had to bear the cost of Medical Interpreting as a business expense.”

Providers of outpatient health services who utilize medical interpreting services are now eligible for reimbursement through Medicaid Managed Care and Family Health Plus Plans, said Theresa Slater, Empire Interpreting Service (EIS) President. Here, EIS Sign Language Interpreter Jennifer Wissman interprets for a patient of Dr. Zina Berry of Berry Good Dental, Syracuse. Individuals with questions should contact Corissa Widger, EIS director of spoken languages at (315) 472-1383 Ex. 402,  cwidger@empireinterpreting.com. For further information EIS can be at (315) 472-1383, online at www.empireinterpreting.com and on Facebook® at https://www.facebook.com/empireinterpreting.
Providers of outpatient health services who utilize medical interpreting services are now eligible for reimbursement through Medicaid Managed Care and Family Health Plus Plans, said Theresa Slater, Empire Interpreting Service (EIS) President. Here, EIS Sign Language Interpreter Jennifer Wissman interprets for a patient of Dr. Zina Berry of Berry Good Dental, Syracuse. Individuals with questions should contact Corissa Widger, EIS director of spoken languages at (315) 472-1383 Ex. 402, [email protected]. For further information EIS can be at (315) 472-1383, online at www.empireinterpreting.com and on Facebook® at https://www.facebook.com/empireinterpreting.

Among the facilities eligible for reimbursement are hospital clinics, private practice practitioners, substance abuse centers, emergency/urgent care locations, mental health offices, dentists and centers that care for individuals with developmental disabilities, said Slater.

“Other eligible locations include hospital emergency rooms, diagnostic and

treatment centers, federally qualified health centers, and office-based practitioners,” Slater said.

“One of the most frequent questions we hear from providers is: ‘How much is reimbursed and how do we prove that an Interpreter was provided?’ “ Slater said. “ Documentation is required in patients’ medical records each time an Interpreter is used and for how long. The length of interpreting time is the primary factor for determining reimbursement. For example, although an Interpreter might be scheduled for two hours, reimbursable time is only the time that the patient is actually present with the provider.

“Time spent in the waiting room, conversation between receptionist staff and patients would not be reimbursable time.

“EIS can help providers navigate through the requirements, as well as provide the finest Medical Interpreters in the area for both sign and spoken languages.”

Individuals with questions should contact Corissa Widger, EIS director of spoken languages at (315) 472-1383 Ex. 402, and [email protected].

EIS is certified WBENC, and is a member of the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, the International Medical Interpreters Association, and the National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators. For further information, EIS can be at (315) 472-1383, online at www.empireinterpreting.com and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/empireinterpreting.

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