CMI Legal and Regulatory Framework 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, healthcare entities receiving federal funding must:
- Provide interpreters only upon written patient request
- Provide meaningful access to services for limited English proficient (LEP) patients (Correct answer)
- Use only professional certified interpreters
- Translate all documents into Spanish only
Correct answer: Provide meaningful access to services for limited English proficient (LEP) patients
Title VI prohibits discrimination based on national origin and requires federally funded healthcare entities to provide meaningful language access to LEP patients.
Question 2: Executive Order 13166 (2000) requires federal agencies and recipients of federal funds to:
- Hire only bilingual staff for patient care
- Improve access to services for persons with limited English proficiency (Correct answer)
- Certify all medical interpreters at the federal level
- Eliminate the use of telephone interpreting
Correct answer: Improve access to services for persons with limited English proficiency
Executive Order 13166 directs federal agencies and federal fund recipients to take reasonable steps to ensure meaningful access for LEP persons.
Question 3: HIPAA requires medical interpreters to:
- Obtain written authorization before interpreting for any patient
- Maintain the confidentiality of all patient health information encountered during interpretation (Correct answer)
- Report all patient information to the federal government
- Provide written transcripts of all interpreted encounters
Correct answer: Maintain the confidentiality of all patient health information encountered during interpretation
Medical interpreters are bound by HIPAA to maintain strict confidentiality of all protected health information (PHI) they encounter during their work.
Question 4: Which federal law prohibits discrimination in healthcare on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability for programs receiving federal financial assistance?
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
- Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (Correct answer)
- HIPAA
- COBRA
Correct answer: Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act
Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act is the first broad federal law prohibiting discrimination in health programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.
Question 5: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is relevant to medical interpreters because it:
- Requires all interpreters to be certified by the federal government
- Mandates effective communication for patients with disabilities, which may include sign language interpreting (Correct answer)
- Limits medical interpretation to hospital settings only
- Requires interpreters to be licensed physicians
Correct answer: Mandates effective communication for patients with disabilities, which may include sign language interpreting
The ADA requires covered entities to provide effective communication for individuals with disabilities, which may include American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters for Deaf patients.
Question 6: When a healthcare provider uses a minor child to interpret for a parent in a non-emergency situation, this practice:
- Is legal and acceptable when certified interpreters are unavailable
- Violates best practice standards and may compromise care quality and patient privacy (Correct answer)
- Is required by law when a parent requests it
- Is only problematic if the child is under 10 years old
Correct answer: Violates best practice standards and may compromise care quality and patient privacy
Using minors as interpreters in non-emergency situations is strongly discouraged because it compromises accuracy, patient privacy, and can be emotionally burdensome for the child.
CMI Legal and Regulatory Framework 1
Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, healthcare entities receiving federal funding must: