Availability of Language Services

MUSC Health treats an increasing number of limited English proficient (LEP), deaf, deaf/blind, and hard of hearing patients each year. For them, a visit to the doctor can be confusing and even dangerous without a trained medical interpreter. We are committed to ensuring effective communication between all patients and providers and to providing a high reliability framework for the provision of care throughout the care continuum.

MUSC Health provides interpretation services, 24 hours a day, at no cost to LEP patients during the course of medical treatment and during hospitalization. These services are offered in-person, telephonically, and by video remote interpretation.

In-Person Interpretation

MUSC Health provides on-site medical interpretation for patients who speak Spanish 24 hours a day. Patients who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing on-site American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreters are available during business hours 8 am to 5 pm. During After hours and weekends, ASL Interpreters are provided through interpreting agencies.

Telephonic Interpretation

Telephonic interpretation is available to patients in over 240 languages on a 24-hour basis. It is easy to access on any phone and connects providers to interpreters within seconds. Interpreters can be scheduled for uncommon languages or dialects.

Video Remote Interpretation (VRI)

MUSC Health provides video remote interpretation (VRI). VRI is a convenient, on-demand interpreting service delivered over a live internet video connection. VRI enables deaf, hard of hearing and LEP individuals who are NOT in the same location to easily conduct conversations using a remote video interpreter using videophone technology and high-speed internet connection. This service is available 24 hours a day.