May 15, 2020

New Interpreter Service for Staff/Faculty

Effective communication in clinical encounters depends on the exchange of accurate information between clinician and patient. Professional medical interpretation improves access and quality of care for Limited English Proficient (LEP) and Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing (DDBHOH) patients. 

While in-person interpretation is the preferred method, it is not always possible. The organization’s current vendor, Pacific Interpreters, provides remote interpreting service. 

Here are some new services that will be offered at Michigan Medicine:

M-Terp
Interpreter Services wants to improve remote interpreting for patients, families and staff. The team is pleased to announce its new M-Terp service.

By dialing M-Terp (6-8377 or 734-936-8377), a Michigan Medicine Interpreter will answer the call and serve as your interpreter. If a Michigan Medicine interpreter is not available, your call will be transferred to the vendor.

There are many benefits to this service:

  • Access to the Michigan Medicine interpreters, who are among the best in the country
  • Interpreters who are familiar with Michigan Medicine and its patients
  • Potential cost savings for the organization M

M-Terp is currently available in Arabic, Chinese, French, Japanese, Korean, Russian and Spanish. Dialing this number will connect you to our vendor for all languages. 

Video visits
Michigan Medicine Interpreters are also available for MiChart Video Visits.  You can find the workflow for video visits here.

Video visits are available for the following languages:  Arabic, Cantonese, French, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Russian, Sign Language and Spanish. A few reminders about video visits:

  • The patient may not be able to access it since the portal is in English
  • Video visits require the interpreter to have access to MiChart; therefore, you will need to use a phone interpreter for all other languages not listed above.

This service is available when the patient and provider are in different locations, not when the patient is physically present in the clinic, the ED, as an inpatient, etc.