For over a decade now, researchers have documented the effects of language barriers on health care. Patients who speak English poorly or not at all face longer hospital stays, an increased risk of misdiagnoses and medical errors, and decreased access to acute and preventive care services, often regardless of socioeconomic or insurance status.

-NY Times, “When the Patient Gets Lost in Translation”

This point really emphasizes the importance of doctor-patient communication. Not present in medicine of yore, new technology, diagnostic tests, and administrative duties have slowly separated the doctor from the bedside.

Instead of waiting for a translator, many doctors see it as an acceptable shortcut to base their decisions on the outward presentation of the patient. And instead of spending time on in-depth conversations with patients, doctors shuffle speedily from patient to patient (which is not entirely the physicians fault — the US system for reimbursement and financial incentives therein perpetuate this practice).

Doctors and policy makers need to take the importance of patient-doctor conversations into account and ensure that any future reform reflects their value.