Here’s another wrinkle in the attempt to communicate effectively with LEP patients: is your patient portal truly accessible? With growing use and dependence on web-based portals, are all patients getting an even shake?

According to Intersect: A Newsletter about Interpreting, Language and Culture, this is a communication sector that could use more examination. Last year about a third of immigrants reported “obstacles in receiving respectful communication from their providers.”

Among those obstacles: the patient portal that has become “the de facto channel for engaging patients in their care outside of facilities.” Use of these portals is less among Black and Hispanic patients compared to their white peers.