Video Interpreting Enables Medical Care Everyone Can Understand

Stratus Video Interpreting is displacing traditional forms of interpreting within hospitals by offering speed, low cost, and clarity.

Marie Thibault

Stratus offers video remote interpreting, allowing the interpreter to see and interact with both the patient and provider.

Being ill is hard on everyone, but the fear and uncertainty of sickness can be compounded for patients who don’t speak English and may worry they won’t be able to effectively communicate with their care provider.

Hospitals are required to provide interpretation services, but the two traditional methods of interpretation—over-the-phone and in-person—while necessary, were not without their faults. 

In-person interpreting allows the interpreter to speak directly with the patient and doctor and visually comprehend the health problem, but the downside is the expense and the potential wait to secure time with the interpreter. Interpretation over the phone, on the other hand, reduces the expense and waiting time, but removes the visual aspect of seeing the patient, making it harder to understand and explain the health problem to the physician.

Stratus Video Interpreting is disrupting healthcare interpreting with a solution that offers the best of both worlds: video remote interpreting (VRI). The Clearwater, FL-based company offers the technology on an iPad, Android device, or PC, allowing hospital customers to quickly choose the language they need and connect with an interpreter within the company's large network of healthcare-certified interpreters in under 30 seconds. 

David Fetterolf, president of Stratus Video, said, "Within less than 30 seconds, we get a certified interpreter on the iPad, looking at the patient, the patient can see the interpreter, it's almost as good as in-person interpreting, but it's at the answer speeds and cost structure of over the phone."

Once a hospital or large health system signs a client contract with Stratus, the company provides the organization with the necessary hardware. Fetterolf said that switching to VRI usually saves hospitals money "because we cut the cost by about 70% for video versus in person." Clients are charged for VRI service on a minute-by-minute basis, which can range from $1.15/minute for very large organizations to $1.50 per minute for small hospitals.

While there are a handful of competitors in the healthcare VRI field, Fetterolf said Stratus is the market leader by a wide margin. He estimates that VRI has penetrated about 33% of the U.S. hospital market, with 26% of all hospitals in the country using Stratus Video—almost 80%.

What's behind that large market lead? One key advantage is the company's roots in the deaf and hard of hearing market. Stratus is the sister company of The Z, a company that offers a video relay service for the deaf and hard of hearing. (Private equity firm Kinderhook Industries acquired The Z and Stratus in February 2015.) Fetterolf explains that the service allowed a deaf person to use a video phone that would connect them to a sign language interpreter before ringing through to their physician's office. The Z started using the video technology more than eight years ago, which gave Stratus a jump start when it was formed to target the hospital language interpretation market, he says. In addition, he also believes the company has top notch American Sign Language interpreters as a result of its background.

Lancaster Regional Medical Center in Lancaster, PA and Heart of Lancaster Regional Medical Center in Lititz, PA use the Stratus VRI technology. Danielle Gilmore, director of marketing at the organization, wrote in an e-mail to MD+DI that the health system decided to start using the Stratus technology "because communication is a cornerstone of effective patient care." She explains that two main advantages of the Stratus technology are the medically-certified interpreters—"that's extremely important to convey often complex medical information and have that communication be as accurate as possible across different languages," and the "HIPAA compliant, encrypted connection that connect[s] quickly."

Gilmore said that the most popular language used at the Lancaster-area facilities is sign language, followed by Spanish and Nepali.

Stratus now covers more than 175 languages. According to information on the company's Web site, an average 65,000 video calls are made each day through Stratus. The company's network numbered about 400 interpreters at the end of 2015 and Fetterolf expects that to increase to a mix of about 900 salaried and freelance interpreters by February. Hospitals can also add their own staff interpreters to the Stratus video network in order to save money.

Fetterolf expects the company to enjoy tremendous growth as more hospitals consider shifting toward video interpreting. The company was estimated to have grown more than 300% in 2015 to approximately $10 million in sales and could triple revenue again in 2016, Fetterolf said, since sales are based on a recurring revenue model. 

While there's plenty of room for Stratus to expand in the healthcare interpretation market, there are numerous other opportunities outside the hospital too. Pharmacies, courts, insurance, schools, airlines, banks, and many other markets could eventually benefit from VRI as well, Fetterolf believes. "There are lots of markets. We are trying to stay focused," he said.

Editor's note: A previous version of this article stated that Fetterolf's estimation of the percentage of U.S. hospitals using Stratus Video resulted in an almost 80% market share. That has been corrected to clarify that he estimated Stratus is used in almost 80% of the U.S. hospitals using VRI, not necessarily that Stratus has 80% of sales. 

Marie Thibault is the associate editor at MD+DI. Reach her at [email protected] and on Twitter @medtechmarie. 

[Images courtesy of STRATUS VIDEO]