The SPEAK Act will make telemedicine work for everyone

By Rep. Monica De La Cruz and Daniel Garza

In the last five years, a pandemic and a rise in demand for telemedicine have proven how life-changing virtual care can be for patients across the country. While technology is a marvel, five years later, millions struggle to access these services. Language barriers act as a prevalent obstacle to receiving the quality care many people need and deserve.

In 2025, that’s far from acceptable, but Congress has the opportunity to correct this oversight by passing the bipartisan Supporting Patient Education And Knowledge (SPEAK) Act.

This patient-critical measure would require the Department of Health and Human Services to advise hospitals and health systems on how to improve multi-language telehealth services for Americans with limited English proficiency. Guidance would include best practices on the distribution of accessible instructions in multiple languages, integration of interpreters during appointments, and accessibility to non-English telehealth and patient portals.

The benefit of telehealth affects patients of all backgrounds. The extraordinary flexibility gives patients the opportunity to visit their doctor in person or online. This is especially critical for those facing extenuating family circumstances, chronic health conditions, and limited access to care, especially those in rural communities.

Telehealth opens new means of assessing how patients are doing in their home lives. For example, cardiologists can accurately observe a patient’s diet and exercise patterns, while mental health specialists can facilitate diagnosis of psychological conditions while patients are in the comfort of their own homes.

In fact, telehealth is now the standard across many medical specialties.

Orginally post in The Washington Examiner