Culturally Competent Care

Keystone First VIP Choice's cultural competency program helps prepare our providers to deliver culturally and linguistically appropriate health care services to all of our members, regardless of their culture, country of origin, language, race, or ethnicity. With our participating providers like you, we work to meet the unique needs of our diverse membership through customized health-related information and services.

We can help when your practice has questions about delivering effective health services to these diverse populations.

For help serving members with limited English knowledge, low literacy proficiency, or sensory impairments, contact Member Services at 1-800-450-1166 (TTY 711), 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week.

Cultural Awareness and Responsiveness Training Opportunities, Continuing Medical Education (CME) Credits, and Resources for Providers

Why cultural awareness and responsiveness are important

The cultural background of the members of your patient community can impact how they respond to, accept, and manage their health care needs. It can impact:

  • Adherence to care plans.
  • Proactive health measures.
  • Unconscious biases.
  • Patient trust.

As a service to our providers, we have curated a collection of no-cost CME-accredited classes and learning resources that support continuing education in this area. All courses have been vetted or recommended by leading best practice organizations for practitioners and health care professionals.

No-cost training resources for CME

The Office of Minority Health, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, offers the following accredited CE programs:

Both programs are accredited for CE credits and available online at no cost to participants.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health: Think Cultural Health Training

This online cultural competency training offered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health is accredited for AMA PRA category 1 credit. You can earn up to nine no-cost CME credits (physicians and physician assistants) or nine contact hours (nurse practitioners), while exploring engaging cases and learning about cultural competency in health care.

The Fenway Institute: National LGBT Health Education Center

The Health Education Center offers no-cost webinars, publications, and talks led by clinicians and leading researchers on providing supportive LGBTQ health care.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health: Improving Cultural Competence for Behavioral Health Professionals

  • Four to five and a half contact hours for counselors, nurses, psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers. Other professionals may earn a statement of participation.
  • Visit the Think Cultural Health website.

This e-learning program is designed to assist behavioral health professionals with increasing their cultural and linguistic competency.

Learning and supportive resources

The following resources are not available for continuing education credit; however, they are recommended resources for improving cultural responsiveness.

Georgetown University: National Center for Cultural Competence (NCCC) Distance Learning

  • Free to access.
  • Various training topics.
  • Curricula and learning tools include relevant materials, articles, and publications, and provide users with instructional and self-discovery strategies.
  • Visit the NCCC Distance Learning website.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) health literacy training

National Institutes of Health: HealthReach multilingual patient education materials

Cultural competence for treating immigrant and refugee populations

DiversityRx webinars

  • Online training that includes audiovisual recordings, slides, and resources on cross-cultural health topics, NCQA standards, and best practices.
  • Visit the DiversityRx website.

Health Resources and Services Administration health literacy resources

American Public Health Association: Racism: Science & Tools for the Public Health Professional

The Joint Commission: Health equity standards

There are no standards that prohibit a bilingual practitioner from communicating directly with a patient in another language while providing care, treatment, or services. However, it is recommended that the organization has a process to make sure that communication with the patient in the non-English language is effective and meets the patient's needs.

University of Chicago

This course presents evidence-based best practices and practical strategies to help reduce disparities in health care quality. Designed for primary care providers, medical directors, and quality improvement directors.

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