HoHGuyOhio

Hypothetical Situation:

A deaf patient show up to a doctor's appointment (they've been seeing this doctor for a while now) and an interpreter comes in. S/he goes to the front desk, talks to the receptionist (conversation seems a little tense), and then walks to the door as if s/he is leaving.

"Are you leaving?" the deaf person asks.

"Yes. I'm sorry. I can't interpret for you," the interpreter responds. "The doctor's office hasn't paid the agency I work for and the agency won't let me interpret for your appointment."

The interpreter leaves.

Questions for you deaf consumers of interpreting services:

1. How would you feel if this happened to you?
2. Would you be mad at the interpreter?
3. What kind of effect would this have on your relationship with your doctor?

Questions for interpreters:

1. If the agency where you were employed full-time made picking up payment and withholding services if payment isn't made an expected duty of yours, how would you feel about it?
2. When viewed through the lens of RID-NAD's Code of Professional Conduct, do you think it is ethical for the agency and/or interpreter to engage in such business practices?

Thanks in advance for your responses.

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Chris
Certified Interpreter
NAD V, NIC Advanced

Deafness

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Reba

I want to be sure I understand a couple points first.

Who is the "they" in this sentence--"they won't let me interpret for your appointment"? Is it the agency or the doctor who won't let the interpreter do the assignment? If it is the agency, why did they send the terp there? If the doctor's office didn't pay the interpreting agency, why did the agency send the terp to the assignment?

Why is the terp discussing financial arrangements with a receptionist and with the deaf consumer? That should be resolved between the agency and the doctor's office manager, behind the scenes, prior to the assignment.

When I used to work for an agency, all I had to do was show up and do the job. Any questions about billing or payment went straight to the assignment coordinator, not me.

Now that I am in private practice, I have to do my own negotiating and payment pursuit. I do that behind the scenes either before or after the assignment. The deaf consumer is never involved or present. I might have to thrash the hearing client behind closed doors but all that bloody scene is out of view of the deaf consumer.

Can you please clarify question #1? What is the "expected duty"--interpreting or collections?

HoHGuyOhio

The "they" is the agency. The expected duty would be to pick up checks and withhold services if the check is not provided.

I edited my original post for clarity.

__________________
Chris
Certified Interpreter
NAD V, NIC Advanced

Reba

I've never heard of terps picking up checks for their agencies. Most clients mail the check to the agency or have a credit card account with them. I've worked for an agency, for schools, freelance with several agencies, and now my own private practice, over several years, and I've never picked up a check for service.

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