Language interpreters

The Health Care Interpreter Network (HCIN) is collaborative of hospitals and providers that share the services of their trained language interpreters over a video and voice network. Its voice/video technology facilitates very rapid connection to qualified medical interpreters for 15 spoken languages. The vast majority of the HCIN interpreting is done in outpatient clinics rung by the county facilities or teaching hospitals.

Two innovations under HCIN are as follows:

• Creative use of an existing technology to form a voice/video over IP (V/VoIP) network.
• An organizational and governance structure that enables the network to overcome the barriers that frequently stifle innovations in county-operated health systems.