MultiCare Health Systems will overhaul procedures following investigation

MultiCare Health Systems of Washington will overhaul its procedures and allocate over $2 million to compensate patients whose civil rights were violated due to inadequate interpreter services.

U.S. Attorney Tessa Gorman announced an investigation found that two deaf-blind patients did not receive proper interpreter services before and after surgery. Each patient will receive $100,000, and their family members, who had to act as interpreters under stressful conditions, will receive $40,000 each.

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“This settlement with MultiCare not only compensates those whose rights were violated, it also ensures better care in the future for patients who are deaf and deaf-blind,” Gorman said.

MultiCare will appoint a coordinator to make sure interpreter services are provided appropriately.

As part of the settlement, MultiCare will train employees on assessing and meeting the communication needs of deaf and deaf-blind patients. Information about interpreter services will be added to MultiCare’s website and handbook. The agreement, effective for three years, mandates quarterly reports to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Health and Human Services (HHS).

The investigation began in 2020 after a complaint that a deaf-blind patient did not receive appropriate communication assistance at multiple appointments. MultiCare had the patient’s spouse, who is also deaf and visually impaired, act as an interpreter. During the investigation, another deaf-blind patient reported similar issues, with his son having to act as an interpreter.

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While not admitting fault, MultiCare acknowledges potential additional violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The health system will establish a $2 million fund and a third-party claims administrator to allocate compensation based on the harm suffered. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will review the allocations.

In addition to compensating claimants, MultiCare will pay $95,000 to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. This is the eighth settlement in eight years regarding inadequate interpreter services in healthcare settings. Previous settlements involved PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center, University of Washington Medical Center – Northwest and Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Washington.

Bill Kaczaraba is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here. Follow Bill on X, formerly known as Twitter, here and email him here.