CLEARWATER, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Southcoast Health has partnered with leading language access and telehealth company, Stratus Video, to better serve its limited English proficiency (LEP) and Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing patients. The community-based health system now provides easy access to video remote interpretation (VRI) at all three of its hospitals in Southeastern Massachusetts.

Ever-expanding language diversity, coupled with evolving federal regulations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), has brought on-demand interpreting from a “nice-to-have” to “mission-critical” for health systems looking to provide quality care for all patients. For Southcoast Health, there were 42,195 interpretation requests across all of its hospitals in FY 2015, of which 24,486 were for Spanish, alone. The health system realized the need to offer its diverse patient population access to a broader array of simple and effective communication tools.

“We are very focused on leveraging innovation to promote health and well-being in the communities and populations we serve, and our LEP population is no exception,” said Robert Caldas, DO, Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President of Southcoast Health. “We have been so pleased with how Stratus Video Interpreting has helped enhance communication and care delivery in our hospitals that we are now beginning to discuss rolling the VRI technology out to our affiliated physician practices.”

Stratus Video Interpreting combines the benefits of face-to-face interpretation with the on-demand nature of over-the-phone interpretation. The mobile app is easy to use and can be loaded onto any tablet, smartphone, desktop or laptop, giving users instant access to medically qualified interpreters at a push of a button. On the back-end, the technology incorporates sophisticated automation and intelligent routing, enabling easy integration into existing processes and workflows.

“As patients begin to act more like consumers, hospitals are seeking solutions to improve not only quality of care, but patient experience as well,” said David Fetterolf, President of Language Services at Stratus Video. “Stratus Video Interpreting is a cost-effective way for health systems like Southcoast Health to positively impact care outcomes as well as patient and provider satisfaction, all while ensuring regulatory compliance.”

About Stratus Video
Stratus Video is a technology-driven company that is changing the way patients and medical professionals connect across all areas of health care. Stratus Video is the largest and fastest growing video remote languages services company in the world. Stratus Video Language Services has four proprietary products including Stratus Video Interpreting, a video remote interpretation product; Stratus Audio, an over-the-phone interpretation service; Stratus InPerson, an in-person Uber-like solution; and Stratus Word, a solution for document translation. Stratus Video Telehealth leverages Stratus Video’s proprietary technology platform with innovation aimed at improving the timing and quality of patient care. Stratus Video Telehealth solutions include ER/Urgent Care Virtual Consult, the Post Hospital Discharge Solution, a Behavioral Health Solution, and a Care Coordination Solution. Led by a team of dedicated individuals with decades of experience in the health care and technology markets, Stratus Video is committed to enabling visual connections and vital conversations. For more information, please visit www.stratusvideo.com and follow us on @stratusvideo on Twitter.

About Southcoast Health

Southcoast Health is a community-based health delivery system with multiple access points, offering an integrated continuum of health services throughout Southeastern Massachusetts and parts of Rhode Island. Southcoast Health’s mission is to promote the optimal health and well-being of individuals in the communities it serves. Southcoast Health is comprised of four hospitals — Charlton Memorial in Fall River, St. Luke’s in New Bedford, Tobey in Wareham and Southcoast Behavioral Health in Dartmouth — two Centers for Cancer Care, four Urgent Care Centers, a physician’s network, an employed physicians group, a visiting nurse association and numerous additional ambulatory facilities and serves more than 719,000 residents in 33 communities covering over 900 square miles. More information is available online at www.southcoast.org. Connect to Southcoast Health through social media on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.