How Spanish Speaking Doctors Can Help

Language barriers can be a real problem when it comes to medicine. It means that the doctor may not fully understand the problem, and that the patient may not be able to understand the remedy. Finding a Spanish speaking doctor is important to be able to get the right treatment for your health problem, if you do not speak good English. Here are some tips to help you find the doctor you need.

Many Communities Have Doctors Who Speak Spanish

A growing number of doctors can speak Spanish. This should make it a little simpler to find them because they likely will add that to their sign or to their advertisements. If the doctors do not speak Spanish themselves, then there may be a nurse or other staff member who does.

Talk to Other Spanish-Speaking People

Other people who speak Spanish in the community could also help you find the doctor you need. They may have needed a doctor’s services previously and can help you locate the doctor you need with Spanish-speaking abilities.

Check Your Insurance Provider

If you have insurance through your place of employment, then your directory of doctors can likely direct you to the right doctor. If it does not include any, you can contact the insurer and someone there can likely direct you to the Spanish-speaking services you need.

Talk to Organizations in the Community

Various groups in your community will be aware of doctors who can speak Spanish. Organizations you want to talk to include religious organizations, non-profits, and medical centers or hospitals.

Use the Internet

Probably the fastest way to find the doctor you need is to look on the Internet. This tool is powerful and you can find almost any information you need about where to find a Spanish speaking doctor.

Get an Interpreter

While an interpreter is not the best way to get medical help, it certainly is better than nothing. This is especially true if the interpreter speaks good English and Spanish and has an understanding of some medical terms.

The government of the United States now requires doctors to be able to meet the medical needs of Spanish-speaking people. This requirement is for those who accept patients using Medicaid and Medicare. If they do not speak Spanish themselves, they are required to hire an interpreter.

The result of this is that many doctors are now learning Spanish so that they can meet this need.

Check with the American Medical Association (AMA)

The AMA has a list of doctors across the United States that speaks Spanish. They can quickly provide some doctors names and phone numbers of medical staff that speak Spanish in your area. This can make it easy to find the right doctor’s office.

Spanish speaking people can expect to be able to find a Spanish speaking doctor more easily in the near future. Some medical schools are actually recommending that their students spend some time in a Spanish speaking country in order to learn the language.