CLAS Standards
With the increasing diversity of the United States’ population, physicians are more and more likely to encounter situations that require the delivery of culturally competent care, access to a vast array of language services, and supportive health care organizations.
Any health and healthcare organization addressing mental, social, spiritual and physical well-being can benefit from the adoption and implementation of the National Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) Standards from the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health. The Standards aim to advance health equity, improve quality and help eliminate health care disparities by providing a framework for implementing culturally and linguistically (language) appropriate services throughout an organization.
MHS Provides Free Services for Provider Offices’ Use
MHS is committed to ensuring the linguistic needs and cultural differences of our members are met and provides an array of services through internal sources and external partnerships.
- Access to individuals who are trained, professional interpreters. MHS offers face-to-face or telephonic interpreter services that may be arranged through Member Services. MHS requests a five-day prior notification for face-to-face services. This includes interpretation for spoken languages as well as for hearing impairment.
- Over-the-phone interpreter services are available 24/7, in approximately 150 languages, to assist providers and members in communicating with each other when there are no other translators available for the language. In addition, TTY access is available to members who are hearing-impaired. To schedule contact MHS Provider Services at 1-877-647-4848.
- The free MHS 24hr Nurse Advice Line can assist members with medical questions and triage care.
Other services that MHS offers for members:
- MHS MemberConnections® helps MHS Members that need social services to facilitate successful medical treatment.
- The MHS Family Education Network meets personally with MHS Members and teaches them about MHS programs and services (facilitated through our partnership with the Indiana Minority Health Coalition).
- The MHS Ombudsman helps advocate for MHS members that are having difficulty navigating MHS services.
- LCP Transportation manages the transportation benefit for MHS.