NYAM Provides Critical Data to Enact New York State Law Requiring Pharmacy Translation Services

A new law signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo as part of the 2012-13 New York State Budget will make it easier for New Yorkers to read prescription drug labels in their native language, a move designed to increase patient safety and promote improved communication between immigrant communities and their health providers. The new law, which was supported by key research conducted by The New York Academy of Medicine, requires translation and interpretation services by chain pharmacies and mail order pharmacies for patients with limited English proficiency. 

The new law received strong support from The SafeRx Coalition, comprising more than 100 individuals and organizations (including NYAM) throughout New York State that support making medication instructions easier for patients to understand, particularly through the creation of standardized, patient-centered labels and the provision of language assistance services in pharmacies.

Between 2006 and 2008, NYAM began conducting research about language access in pharmacies and identified many problems that this bill will help address. In a random sample survey of 200 New York City (NYC) pharmacies, NYAM researchers found that:

•    88% of pharmacists surveyed reported that they had limited English proficiency (LEP) patients on a daily basis, but less than 40% of this group reported that they translated labels daily;

•    Verbal translation was inadequate at NYC pharmacies. Although there are many bilingual pharmacists, few speak the language of their community and only 22% speak Spanish, the language of most LEP New Yorkers;

•    Pharmacists reported using staff, other customers, family members, or nearby merchants (none with interpreter training and many of which violate HIPAA regulations) to explain medication instructions to LEP patients; and

•    Pharmacists were often unable to identify their customers’ language needs and customers did not know that translation services were available. 

NYAM President Jo Ivey Boufford, who served on the State’s Health Disparities Medicaid Redesign Work Group and supported passage of the law as a member of the Committee, hailed the new law as a “critically important step in removing language barriers that can affect patient safety and addressing an important issue that contributes to the health disparities experienced by immigrant communities.”

Linda Weiss, Director of NYAM’s Center for Evaluation and Applied Research and the leader of NYAM’s pharmacy research, said the victory was a significant one for patients who need to understand their medication instructions.

“For many people, prescription medications are essential for the prevention and management of disease—however, medications only work if they are taken correctly. This law is very important because it will significantly expand access to translated medication instructions for the two million-plus New Yorkers who are not fluent in English,” Dr. Weiss said. “With translated instructions, these patients will be more likely to take their medicines as prescribed and will be better able to avoid errors that impact on medication effectiveness and safety.”

Posted on April 5, 2012

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Contact:
Andrew J. Martin
Director of Communications
The New York Academy of Medicine
1216 Fifth Avenue
New York, New York 10029
212-822-7285
amartin@nyam.org

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