Provider updates

Help patients receive care with these interpretation services updates!

So that all our members receive dental care in a language that is meaningful to them, it is essential for contracted CareOregon Dental providers to make interpreting services available to CareOregon Dental members. CareOregon Dental pays for these interpreting services so that our members can meaningfully access their covered health care services and benefits. We have contractual arrangements with four approved vendors. Please use them when serving CareOregon Dental members. (See our list of vendors below.)

Interpreter services must be available both during and after hours for consultation and provision of care. While interpreting services can be scheduled with short notice, to ensure coverage, please schedule as soon as a member makes an appointment.

Interpreting services should be performed by certified and qualified interpreters. The interpreters may be on-staff or scheduled through a CareOregon Dental approved vendor. They may operate on-site, over the phone or via computer screen. Interpreting should not be provided by a member of the patient's family. Members should never be asked to bring their own interpreter.

CareOregon Dental covers interpreting services for

• Onsite dental health appointments
• Scheduling or rescheduling appointments
• Appointment reminders
• Appointment follow-ups
• Relaying results
• Registration for procedures
  

If you choose to coordinate interpreting services yourself rather than through CareOregon Dental, you are responsible for paying for those services. CareOregon Dental pays only for interpreting services that you coordinate through our approved vendors for our members.

To help ensure members get the interpretation services that are right for their needs, we’ve also created language access materials you can place in your office. The purpose of language access materials is to:

• Support communication with members who are unable to communicate in English.
• Ensure that language access information is posted in public spaces.
• Help your staff feel confident about serving a diverse population.
• Help members and families know that services are available and free.
• Help members feel more in control of their own care.

The following materials can be found our website:

• A Language Access Poster you can place on your clinic wall that informs members that interpretation is free and their right.
• Language Identification Tool, a tool your staff can use to help members identify their preferred language.
• Oregon Health Authority “I Speak” cards that can be easily carried and used to help individuals request interpretation services whenever they need them.
• A one-pager that discusses how to schedule an interpreter for your patient.

These materials are downloadable and printed copies, at no cost to you, can be ordered through oralhealth@careoregon.org

Our approved vendors are:

Immigrant & Refugee Community Organization (IRCO)
Available for on-site, video and telephonic
Online: irco.org/ilb; click “Create New Appointment”
Email: interpretation@ircoilb.org
Phone: 503-505-5187

Linguava
Available for on-site, video and telephonic
Web: linguava.com
Online portal: portal.linguava.com
Email: scheduling@linguava.com
Phone: 503-265-8515, option 1, option 1 again
Fax:503-954-1038

National Interpreting Service (NIS)
Specialty: American Sign Language (ASL) and other sign languages
Available for on-site and video
Online: nationalinterpretingservice.org (Please CALL 24/7 to schedule an interpreter.)
Phone: 503-932-8460
Fax: 866-411-9742

Oregon Certified Interpreter's Network (OCIN)
Available for on-site, video and telephonic
Online: oregoncertified.interpretmanager.com/
Email: request@oregoncertified.com
Phone: 503-213-3191, option 1
Fax: 971-228-2164

Our contract with Passport to Languages (PTL) is ending on June 30, 2022. No future appointments should be scheduled with PTL after June 30. To allow for the transition, any appointments currently scheduled with PTL between now and September 30, 2022, will be paid for by CareOregon Dental if the member is an active CareOregon Dental member on the date of the appointment. After September 30, 2022, CareOregon Dental will no longer pay for PTL services.