The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on national origin. Based on this law, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has determined that physicians and other providers who receive Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal health plan payments must take "reasonable steps to provide meaningful access” to services to persons with limited English proficiency (LEP), defined as persons who speak English less than "very well.”
Unfortunately, there is no "one size fits all” list of requirements. Depending on the nature of your practice, these steps could include providing interpreters for patient encounters, as well as providing vital documents and patient education material in the language of your patients.
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