Delta Dental provider responsibilities for the Language Assistance Program

California law requires health care service plans like Delta Dental to have a language assistance program (LAP) to support the language assistance needs of Delta Dental’s limited English proficient (LEP) enrollee population. The law also requires us to notify our contracted providers of their obligation

As a Delta Dental contracting provider, your obligations under the program include:

1. Notifying Delta Dental of your office’s language assistance capabilities and of any changes in those capabilities.
2. Contacting Delta Dental with requests for interpretation assistance.
3. Informing your patients covered by Delta Dental about our LAP program, including:
   • Their right to language assistance services free of charge
   • That the use of services is advised as opposed to using family or friends.
4. Informing your patients that:
   • Grievance forms and procedures are available upon request from the health plan
   • Information is also available from the Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC)

Dental Office Bilingual Capabilities

Delta Dental conducts quarterly assessments of your ability to provide language assistance services and in which languages. We will do this by:

1. Asking you to complete a Language Capabilities Disclosure Form to attest to your language assistance capabilities and in which language(s). Download and print the form:
   • Delta Dental plans (PDF)
   • Delta Vision (PDF)
2. You may also call Delta Dental at 415-972-8300 ext. 4440 for more copies of the form.
3. You must sign and complete the form if either the provider or staff in the provider office can assist enrollees who are LEP.
4. If your language assistance capability changes, you will need to send us a new form. (For example, if language assistance can no longer be provided in a specific language or a new capability has been added.)
5. Completed forms, including a signature, must be returned through the U.S. mail to:

   Delta Dental - D12 Attn: Dentist Network Administration and Contracting

   PO Box 537010

   Sacramento, CA  95853-7010
6. Or by fax to: 916-852-8995.

Arranging for Interpretive Services:

Delta Dental believes that clear and accurate health information is essential to the delivery of quality health care. To help assure the highest quality patient care, we will arrange for interpretive services at no cost to your patient, in any language/dialect upon demand. As soon as Delta’s Contact Center receives your request, we will promptly arrange for interpretation.

1. As soon as you discover a language barrier, call Delta Dental. We will arrange for a qualified interpreter via telephone to help the provider communicate with the patient.
   • Delta Dental telephone numbers for interpretive services:
   • 1. CPP: 1-800-838-4337
     2. DeltaCare USA: 1-800-422-4234
     3. DeltaDental Premier/DeltaDental PPO: 1-800-765-6003
2. Interpretive services may also be arranged in advance; the interpreter will conduct on-site interpretation at your office location. To arrange for face-to-face interpretive services, call Delta Dental’s Contact Center 72 hours in advance of the appointment time to schedule a visit.
3. Interpretation through a trained and certified interpreter is preferable to interpretation through friends or family. You are required to let your patients know that qualified interpreters are available free of charge. If the patient refuses the offer and prefers to have a friend or family member interpret, you are required to note in the patient’s record that he or she refused the offer of interpretive services.

Grievances:

Grievance forms and procedures are available for distribution to your patients upon request.

Our grievance procedures and forms are available in English, Spanish and Chinese for you to distribute to your patients.

DMHC informational notices are available in non-English languages from the DMHC web site or by U.S. mail:

These notices explain how your patients may contact their plan, file a complaint with their plan, obtain assistance from the DMHC and seek an independent medical review.

Other aspects of the LAP that you need to know include:

Provider Network Office Directories:

Delta Dental's online dentist directories include information about the language capabilities available at dental offices. Directory information is updated weekly with the most recent information available, including the quarterly LAP updates we receive.

Provider Audits:

We’ve enhanced our quality assurance audit tool to ensure the accuracy of information reported to us on the provider office language capabilities disclosure form.

Demographic Profile Data:

We document patient demographic profiles via ongoing survey and assessment efforts, as well as by collecting information at routine points of contact. We will share this information with you upon request.

Communication:

Delta Dental will communicate with you regularly to ensure that:

• You are aware of Delta Dental’s LAP
• You know how to arrange for language assistance services
• You understand that we’ll provide language assistance services at no charge

We’re committed to providing timely and effective language assistance services to ensure delivery of the highest quality dental benefits. We appreciate your cooperation and support in fulfilling the needs of our LEP enrollee population.