Dr. Cheryl Wild
author of Improving Testing: Applying Process Tools and Techniques to Assure Quality
Member of CCHI’s Certification Program Expert Advisory Committee

How vast and complex are the challenges that the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI) is prepared to take on? According to the U.S. Census, more than 25 million people speak English less than very well and may be considered limited English proficient (LEP). Healthcare providers across the country are increasingly treating LEP patients. According to reports commissioned by the National Health Law Program:

• 80% of hospitals encounter LEP patients frequently
• 81% of internal medicine physicians treat LEP patients frequently
• 84% of federally qualified health centers (FQHC) provide clinical services daily to LEP patients.

With such a diversity of needs, how do healthcare providers and coordinators of interpreting services assess the competency of interpreters across a wide variety of languages in a valid, consistent and reliable way? Until now, the healthcare system has been relying on the only thing available—a system of interpreter referrals or dependency on the interpreting services vendors who have their own corporate training and suite of specific services. The need is urgent for CCHI to provide the “assurance of competency through an accredited professional certification program.”

CCHI is a member of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (formerly NOCA), and pleased to be the Institute for Credentialing Excellence's first and only member focusing on certification for healthcare interpreters. CCHI is established in compliance with the accreditation requirements set forth by the Institute for Credentialing Excellence's National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) and will follow NCCA’s nationally recognized processes to develop its certification program. Through its Advisory Committees, CCHI will involve all key stakeholders in the field –interpreters, federal and state policymakers, healthcare providers and language services companies. We have also invited developers and owners of existing healthcare or interpreting certification programs to serve as advisors through this process. The involvement of all stakeholders plus certification experts will result in a well-conceived certification program that is respectful of the many cultural and linguistic groups represented in this profession while developing a system that is of rigorous technical quality.

The national dialogue on healthcare interpreter certification should be led by a neutral entity, without having a financial interest in the outcome, whose primary interest is the well-being of those in need of interpreting services. Each person involved in CCHI must identify the nature of his/her interest in certification, including potential conflicts of interest (See our Conflict of Interest policy).