Tamika McFarlane

Background

About Tamika McFarlane

Language barriers are in healthcare are challenging. If a provider and patient can not understand each other, it could be fatal for the patient. In my position as Operations Specialist at Johns Hopkins Medicine International, I bridge communication gaps between patient and provider. I train staff them to use telephonic and video remote interpretation devices. When hospital staff use interpretation tools effectively, patient safety is achieved and compliance with federal regulations. As a forward-thinker, I am constantly looking for ways to improve processes. I was part of a team that implemented language competency validation for bilingual staff and providers years before the 2016 Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, which mandates that bilingual staff must be tested and qualified before using their language skill for patient communication. Language access in healthcare is extremely important and I am a constantly looking for ways to make a positive impact. Specialties: project management, training, language access compliance, translation, collaboration, flexibility and multi-tasking, networking, and language competency testing.