The Background
For over 160 years, Eskenazi Health has offered high-quality, cost-effective and patient-focused health care to the residents of Marion County and Central Indiana. As one of America’s largest essential health care systems, Eskenazi Health provides treatment and services through more than 1 million outpatient visits each year. Partnering with the Indiana University School of Medicine, Eskenazi Health serves as the public hospital division of the Health & Hospital Corporation of Marion County. Physicians provide a comprehensive range of primary and specialty care services at the 333-bed hospital and outpatient facilities both on and off the Eskenazi Health downtown campus, including at a network of Eskenazi Health Center sites located throughout Indianapolis.
The Challenge
Eskenazi Health has a patient population that speaks dozens of different languages. Interpreters are utilized for provider-patient interactions, but there remains an opportunity for Eskenazi to provide better customer service in more settings, especially less formal ones, but ones that are still crucial in establishing patient trust and comfort. These settings may include the time spent at kiosks, at counters, in hallways, in waiting rooms, and even examination rooms. All these settings provide opportunities for conversation with frontline administrative staff, customer service staff, physician’s assistants, lab technicians, etc.
The Solution
Spanish is the most prevalent foreign language spoken among patients, so it was the first choice of languages in which to train frontline staff in targeted Spanish language skills. LTC designs training programs for specific purposes. Within our methodology, training content is prepared and selected appropriate to the roles and current skills of the Eskenazi staff who will need the targeted training. LTC limits classes to 10 students so that everyone has ample opportunity for practice in class and easy access to the instructor during class.
The Results
Ultimately, the patient experience is enhanced, while enhancing the marketable skills of Eskenazi staff. Eskenazi staff have shared positive feedback. Staff are better able to engage patients in their native languages. Patients and staff feel more connected, and patients feel more appreciated by Eskenazi staff. Students have returned for additional levels of training, prompting LTC to create more content for level II and level III class offerings, building upon the skills already obtained in previous levels. The students’ increasing demand for classes has grown LTC’s programs from 2 group programs in 2022 to 8 programs in 2023, to 12 programs in 2024, and 21 programs in 2025.
About LTC
LTC Language Solutions is a language service provider (LSP) offering solutions for local and national companies, organizations, government agencies, and individuals since 1993. LTC provides language training, cross cultural training, interpretation, translation, repatriation, language assessments, interpreter, and people skills training. LTC has gained a reputation for high-quality, customized services provided through long-term relationships, maintaining some of the same clients for over 30 years.
