Cost Effectiveness of Language Services in Hospital Emergency Departments (EDs)

Numerous studies suggest that the use of in-person, professionally trained medical
interpreters can reduce health care costs associated with diagnosing and treating patients
with limited English proficiency. However, few studies have specifically addressed the
question of the cost-effectiveness of language services in health care settings. This study
used a randomized controlled study design to compare the cost-effectiveness of using
professional interpreters with Spanish-speaking patients seen in hospital emergency
departments (EDs) versus using the usual language services available to these patients. The
main goal of the study was to estimate the effect that professional interpreters have on
resource utilization and patient/provider satisfaction in the ED compared to the language
services usually offered in these settings. Our hypothesis was that use of trained
interpreters would lead to more cost-effective provision of ED services.