Member Languages and Interpreters
Serving Members Better by Speaking Their Language
Treating the whole person – not only their conditions – is a major component of delivering quality healthcare. Arizona Complete Health provides information and tools to help make that possible.
Member Demographics And Our Members
In 2023, 25.7% of Arizona residents reported speaking a language other than English at home, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Arizona Complete Health identifies 29 non-English languages meeting a viable threshold among members in 2024. Arizona Complete Health’s threshold languages include, but not limited to:
- Arabic
- Chinese-Mandarin
- French
- German
- Japanese
- Korean
- Navajo
- Persian
- Russian
- Somali
- Spanish
- Tagalog
- Thai
- Vietnamese
Encourage your members to self-report race, ethnicity, and preferred language when possible.
This helps you provide better whole person care, as well as providing valuable insight that can lead to identification and reduction of health disparities within our served populations.
Working With Interpreters
Arizona Complete Health-Complete Care Plan offers telephone, face to face, and video face-to-face interpretation options at no cost. Information regarding interpreter assistance is available by contacting the Health Plan Provider Services Call Center number at 866-796-0542 (TTY/TDD: 711). For face-to-face requests, please make the request in advance of the appointment with as much notice as possible. At a minimum, the request should be 7-10 days out from the appointment to allow time for the vendors to meet the need (7 days advance for non-medical interpretation and 10 days in advance for medical interpretation). When calling, the following information is required:
- Member name.
- Member ID number.
- Appointment date and time.
- Type of interpretation needed.
- Language requested.
Arizona Complete Health has customer service representatives, at 1-866-918-4450 (TTY:TDD 711), who are available to speak to members/family members in their preferred language or will conference in an interpreter. The Provider Services Call Center, at 1-866-796-0542 (TTY:TDD 711), also has the ability to conference in an interpreter, as needed.
Providers to utilize when pre-scheduling onsite and/or video remote interpretation services for Medicaid members. Interpreter Request Form (PDF)
Not sure of your patient’s language? Look to the footer at the bottom of this website and find the "Language Assistance” link and have the member point to their language. If it’s not listed, you can work with the interpreter service to identify the right language.
Using the speakerphone function is recommended for communication efficiency between you, your member and the interpreter.
Providers must ensure that bilingual staff who act as interpreters are qualified and meet the quality standards, which includes documentation that the staff member’s proficiency was assessed.
A Provider shall NOT require an individual with limited English proficiency to provide their own interpreter or rely on an adult or child accompanying an individual with limited English proficiency to interpret or facilitate communication. In addition, a Provider shall NOT rely on staff other than qualified bilingual/multilingual staff to communicate directly with individuals with limited English proficiency. Exceptions to these expectations include:
- In an emergency involving an imminent threat to the safety or welfare of an individual or the public where there is no qualified interpreter for the individual with limited English proficiency immediately available.
- Where the individual with limited English proficiency specifically requests that the accompanying adult interpret or facilitate communication, the accompanying adult agrees to provide such assistance, and reliance on that adult for such assistance is appropriate under the circumstances for minimal needs.
If an interpreter is offered and the member declines, the provider should document this in the medical record.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) evaluations and devices are covered services for all integrated AHCCCS population.
In addition, behavioral health providers are required report appropriately for Language Assistance - T1013, Interpretation.
- T1013 must be reported when providing language assistance delivered by certified bilingual staff, licensed ASL or provided by a language vendor or any qualified interpreter. This code is used to track language assistance that is being provided at any time (languages other than English, including ASL). T1013 does not require a modifier.
- Interpretation must be reported with another service that cannot be delivered effectively without sign language or interpreter assistance, never a standalone code.
For additional details, please refer to section 10.2 Cultural Competency System of Care Requirements Section: Communication and Language Assistance