HEART SPECIALIST OF SARASOTA, P
HEART SPECIALIST OF SARASOTA, P.L
POLICY & PROCEDURES: MEETING THE NEEDS OF PATIENTS WITH DISABILITIES
PURPOSE: To identify and provide aids and services to meet the physical and/or communication needs of scheduled patients with mobility, hearing or speech disabilities. To facilitate the provision of auxiliary aids including wheel chairs, sign language interpreters and support staff for the visually impaired in order to provide equal services, accommodations and other opportunities to individuals with any disability in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
DEFINITIONS:
1. Auxiliary Aids and Service: Include but are not limited to:
a. The availability of wheel chairs onsite and the accessibility of wheelchairs and gurneys in hallways. restrooms and treatment rooms throughout the facility;
b. The availability of a qualified sign language interpreter who is able to interpret effectively, accurately and impartially both receptively and expressively using any necessary specialized vocabulary, when scheduled in advance of treatment, or through video remote interpreting (VRI) services, note takers; real-time computer-aided transcription services (EHR); written materials, and exchange of written notes.
c. The availability of support staff to assist a visually impaired patient by reading documents, providing explanations as needed and securing signatures, as required.
2. Companion: A person who visits and/or accompanies a patient to office, who is mobility, hearing or visually impaired and in need of auxiliary aids and services and is either:
a. An individual who the patient has identified as someone who will participate in treatment decisions or otherwise assist with patient care; or
b. An individual who is legally authorized to make health care decisions on behalf of the patient; or
c. An individual that the office would regularly communicate with concerning the patient’s medical condition and medical advice including the patient’s next of kin or health care surrogate.
In all instances disclosure of medical information will occur only as permitted under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), privacy rules and other applicable laws governing the privacy and confidentiality of patient information. The term “Companion” shall not include visitors who do not fulfill the roles set forth in this paragraph. When the term “companion” is not capitalized, it shall have its ordinary meaning and include the individuals described in this definition.
3. HSS Personnel: All employees and officers of Heart Specialists of Sarasota, PL including physicians, mid-level providers, nurses, medical assistants, technicians, receptionists, schedulers, billing staff, medical records staff and administrative staff.
4. Patient: A person who has a disability and is seeking and/or receiving medical care at Heart Specialists of Sarasota, PL.
5. Sign Language Interpreter, Oral Interpreter or Interpreter: An interpreter who is able to interpret English to American Sign Language effectively, accurately and impartially, both receptively and expressively, using any specialized terminology necessary for effective communication with a Patient or a Companion who is deaf or hard of hearing. Someone who has only rudimentary familiarity with sign language or finger spelling is not an “interpreter” under this definition. Likewise, someone who is fluent in American Sign Language but who does not possess the ability to process spoken communication into the proper signs or to observe someone signing and change their signed or finger spelled communication into spoken words is not an interpreter.
6. Sign Language Interpreter Services: Interpreter services for someone who is deaf or hard of hearing or who has a speech disability and whose primary means of communication is sign language. This includes patients and their companions (such as spouses, parents, caregivers) who rely primarily on lip reading, American Sign Language (ASL), oral and signed English.
7. TTY and TDD: Devices that are used with a telephone to communicate with persons who are deaf or hard of hearing by typing and reading communications. TTY is a teletypewriter, sometimes also referred to as a TDD, a text telephone device containing a keyboard and visual display designed to exchange written messages over the telephone that is commonly used for telephonic communication by the deaf and hard of hearing, or those who have a speech disability.
8. Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS): A telephone service that allows persons with hearing or speech disabilities to place and receive telephone calls. This service is often used in conjunction with a TTY and TDD. TRS allows communication assistants (CAs) to facilitate telephone calls between people with hearing and speech disabilities and other individuals. A TRS call may be initiated by either a person with a hearing or speech disability or a person without such a disability.
9. Video Remote Interpreting: An interpreting service that uses video conference technology over dedicated lines or wireless technology offering high speed, wide-bandwidth video connection that delivers high-quality video images as provided in 28 C.F.R. 36.303 (f).
10. Videophone: A telephone with a video screen capable of full duplex (bi-directional, high-quality video and audio transmission for visual, real-time communications.
11. Amplified Telephone Handset: An assistive listening device that amplifies the sound of telephone sets.
PROCEDURES:
1. Heart Specialists of Sarasota (HSS) meets all handicap accessibility requirements for physically impaired patients including ramps, automatic door openers, and elevators with braille numerals, doorways and hallways wide enough for wheelchair and gurney access. HSS personnel are always available to assist anyone in accessing the building.
2. It is essential that office accessibility and effective means of communication be available to all patients. It is the responsibility of the HSS individual scheduling the patient’s appointment to determine what auxiliary aids and services the patient may require, to note that in the patient’s records through the use of messages and flags, and to ensure that the requested aid is available at the time of service at no cost to the patient. This may include but not be limited to:
a. If requested when scheduling, a wheelchair is available to pick up the patient with mobility impairment at valet parking or at the handicap accessible drive through once notified of the patient’s arrival; or
b. If requested when scheduling, the services of an interpreter are scheduled for the time of the appointment for a patient who is hearing impaired.(A minimum 48 hour prior notice is required for scheduling interpreter services.); or as an alternative, TTY services will be available to the patient
c. If requested when scheduling, HSS personnel will be available to read documents to a patient who is visually impaired.
Additional Considerations For Hearing Impaired Patients
3. For telephone communications with patients who are hearing impaired, Heart Specialists of Sarasota will utilize the patient’s selected means of communication or TRS (telephone relay services). When Dialing 711 to initiate TRS, the HSS caller will allow for more time than ordinarily planned for voice calls.
4. HSS will provide communication aids and/or interpreter services to patients at no cost to the patients. In consideration of patient confidentiality, staff will not ask family members, companions or other visitors to interpret or read for a person who is hearing or visually impaired. However, patients may request such services of family members, they may bring their own communication aids and/or interpreters to the practice, and give permission to the healthcare team to share information with said family members and/or personal interpreters by signing an HSS HIPAA Acknowledgement form listing the name(s) of any persons they wish to act in this capacity. The practice will not pay for the personal interpreter brought by a patient to HSS.
5. Heart Specialists of Sarasota will not require, coerce or rely upon a family member, companion, advocate or friend of a patient and/or companion to interpret, read or in any other way facilitate communications between HSS personnel and a patient. However, such a person may be used in the event of an emergency involving an imminent threat to the safety and welfare of an individual or the public where there is no interpreter or reader readily available or where the patient with the disability specifically requests that an accompanying adult interpret or facilitate communications and that individual agrees to do so.
6. When discussing medical issues, such as patient’s symptoms and medical conditions, medications, medical history, test results, treatment options or recommendations, obtaining informed consents for treatment, or follow up treatments a qualified sign language interpreter will be provided by HSS at no cost to the patient.
7. Where effective communication will not be compromised, HHS personnel will offer pen/pencil and paper to individuals who are hearing impaired for the purpose of communicating messages, instructions and for answering basic questions when appropriate. Likewise, written communications can be used when filling out new patient forms or any updated forms. Complex issues will be addressed with the patient through use of appropriate communication aids and/or interpreter services.
Additional Considerations For Visually Impaired Patients
8. HSS will provide assistance to Visually Impaired Patients at no cost to assure for effective communication. The patient may elect to provide their own reading assistants if desired. In consideration of patient confidentiality, staff will not ask family members, companions or other visitors to interpret or read for a person who is hearing or visually impaired. However, patients may request such services of family members and give permission to the healthcare team to share information with said family members. The patient must sign an HSS HIPAA Acknowledgement form listing the name(s) of any persons they wish to act in this capacity.
9. Service dogs that aid vision impaired patients are welcome in our facility.
10. When obtaining the signature of a visually impaired patient, HSS staff shall assist the patient or their legal representative as needed by reading the document they are to sign out loud and noting that it has been read. Allow the visually impaired individual to sign their normal signature which may then be witnessed by a staff member or other individual assisting the patient.
General Provisions
11. Use of communication assistance will be documented in the patient’s electronic medical record to include the name of the interpreter, if any, assisting with the service.
12. This policy applies patients receiving services at both HSS Sarasota locations, 1950 Arlington St, Suite 400 and 5350 University Parkway, Suite 207.
13. All HSS physicians and staff shall receive training annually to facilitate compliance with this policy.
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