September 25, 2017 • Education

The Language of Care

Even for a native English speaker, the jargon of healthcare in America can be complicated. From medical terms describing diagnosis to procedural terms telling us how to pay a bill, or even to titles that tell us what type of provider to see, navigating healthcare can be very difficult. For the average American, it can be a real challenge to figure out the answers to these basic questions: what's wrong with me, what do I need to do and who can help me? 

To add to that confusion, individuals with personal injuries and insurance claims have another layer of complexity added when it comes to figuring out how to interact with insurance companies. What procedures will they approve/deny? What doctors am I allowed to see? How can I settle my claim? These are all difficult questions, and it takes a lot of explaining and communication back and forth for the average person to fully understand.

Finally, add to the equation the fact that English is often not the first language for many injured individuals, making things even trickier.

At Ametros, our Care Advocates speak many different languages including Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Ugandan, and more.  For languages we don't speak, we have experienced translators we rely upon. 

Many of our clients ask our Care Advocate Team to communicate with injured individuals early in the settlement proceedings. Having a specific contact at Ametros involved in the case pre-settlement speaking the injured party’s native language allow for a true real relationship to develop between the Care Advocate and the injured individual. This can be helpful in answering the injured individual’s questions and often times in assuring them that they will be well-taken care of after settlement.

About 1 in every 10 of our members at Ametros speak a language other than English making it very common for our team members to contact an injured person to discuss our service in a different language. For example, we talked to our team members Edmil and Becky who communicate to our members in Spanish multiple times a day. They explained that speaking to these members in the language they know best helps provide them with comfort and security knowing they have someone on their side who understands them while going through the complexities of what happens after settlement.

For example, Edmil told us she once had a woman call her named Gloria who only spoke Spanish and was nervous about settling her case and managing her own healthcare. Gloria’s attorney recommended she call us directly to learn more.  She opted for a Spanish representative and Edmil picked up.

Gloria needed help understanding the service more in depth before officially choosing to settle with CareGuard. Edmil explained our CareGuard service and everything it had to offer to her in Spanish. She then decided to settle and to become a member was very appreciative that she could hear directly from us how we could help her, and that anytime she called us she would be able to reach Edmil or someone that spoke her native language. Gloria was so thankful for Edmil she even asked our CEO to fly her out to her so she could meet the person that helped her so much!

At Ametros, we go the extra mile to help these individuals fully understand the decisions at hand regarding:

  • their claim
  • their future healthcare needs
  • their finances
  • how settlement impacts all of these factors

Having a trusted Care Advocate that speaks the language of the injured party is crucial for matters of such importance. Ametros has the largest service team of any professional administrator, with a team of 25 Care Advocates and growing.

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