Building Trust Through Communication: Augusta Health’s Success with Pocketalk

At Augusta Health, healthcare is about more than tests and treatments; it is about building trust and ensuring every patient feels heard and respected. Located in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, this independent, community-owned hospital serves a diverse, multilingual population, including patients who speak Spanish, Russian, Punjabi, and other languages, as well as a large Deaf and hard-of-hearing community. Recognizing that language barriers often isolate patients and prevent them from seeking care or fully understanding their options, Augusta Health turned to Pocketalk, a secure, accurate, and easy-to-use translation device, to make healthcare more inclusive and compassionate.

Deeper Connections That Matter Most

“There’s a big difference between patient satisfaction and patient experience,” says Matt Fidler, Director of Patient Experience. “Satisfaction means meeting the basic expectation of care, seeing the doctor, getting a prescription, and getting treated. But experience is how someone felt when they left. Did they feel heard? Were they treated with compassion? That’s what we focus on at Augusta Health, making sure every patient leaves feeling cared for, not just treated.” While providing excellent medical care remains the priority, the team emphasizes kindness and compassion through meaningful conversations and care, taking time to listen, easing anxieties, and connecting personally with patients, whether by offering a warm blanket, a cup of coffee, or simply sitting down to talk.

Although professional interpreters and language lines are available, Augusta Health noticed gaps in everyday, non-clinical interactions. Volunteers and staff often felt helpless when they could not assist due to language barriers. Pocketalk has proven to be the bridge they had been missing. Since implementing Pocketalk, the devices have logged over 11,000 translations, showing how much this solution was needed and how vital it has become in day-to-day communications at August Health. Matt noted a consistent rise in patient satisfaction scores, including higher clinic ratings and more positive feedback on staff friendliness, communication, and compassion. “Our staff love it and our patients are happy,” he added.”

A Solution That Fits Augusta Health’s Needs

Matt first heard about Pocketalk from the hospital’s COO, who saw it at a healthcare conference. Its real-time translation, ease of use, and compliance with privacy standards made it an ideal solution for caring for underserved, diverse communities. After a demonstration and internal discussions, Augusta Health launched a pilot program.

Today, 25 HIPAA-compliant devices are used across departments and clinics, including registration, volunteer services, nursing, security, environmental services, and the emergency department. Volunteers stationed at all entrances are trained on Pocketalk, ensuring they can assist patients from the moment they arrive. Surprisingly, the hospital’s older volunteers embraced the technology with enthusiasm and have quickly become some of Pocketalk’s most frequent users and strongest advocates.

Staff and volunteers noted that the translations sounded more natural compared to other tools. The image and camera translation feature impressed everyone with its clarity and accuracy. Some even joked about buying one for themselves. Pocketalk also helped staff identify patients’ languages through the flag feature, which allows users to select their country’s flag and their preferred language easily. This eased staff concerns about needing to guess which language a patient spoke and allowed them to assist with confidence.

Conversations That Make a Difference

The impact of Pocketalk at Augusta Health has been clear thanks to patient stories.

• Pocketalk eased an emotionally charged moment for a Spanish-speaking family searching for their father’s room after surgery. In the past, this conversation likely would have gone untranslated. Finding a human interpreter, waiting for them to arrive, or hoping that a passerby could help would have significantly prolonged the family’s wait, leaving them more confused and stressed in a situation already fraught with anxiety. Instead, staff used Pocketalk to guide them with clear directions, offering both comfort and care immediately when it mattered most.
• A Russian-speaking, hard-of-hearing patient was also able to communicate by reading translations on the device’s screen rather than listening. His family praised how naturally the translations were phrased. Staff and volunteers noted how patients and families brightened when they realized someone could understand them in their language. These small but powerful moments improve patient satisfaction and reinforce trust in our healthcare system.
• Nurses in the OB department requested more devices to meet demand. In the emergency department, where stress runs high and time is critical, staff use Pocketalk to greet, guide, and reassure patients at check-in or during rounds. This allows for meaningful human connection without waiting for an interpreter. Volunteers enjoyed demonstrating the features, like the country flags menu, the ability to distinguish dialects, and the option to display translations slowly or read them aloud.

While Augusta Health still depends on certified medical interpreters for clinical care, Pocketalk has made a big difference in everyday, non-clinical conversations. Staff no longer need to wait for an interpreter just to help someone find their way or answer a simple question, which saves time and makes the experience better for everyone. Those interpreter resources can now be focused where they’re needed, and more of the previously untranslated conversations are now unlocked, with Pocketalk.

Planning for the Future

The hospital is also using Ventana, Pocketalk’s administrative panel, to organize and monitor devices. Matt appreciates how Ventana allows him to assign devices to specific units, track their use, and review transcripts to ensure compliance. Staff now understand that while conversations are not stored locally, transcripts are reviewed to ensure the devices are being used appropriately, which helps maintain accountability.

Thanks to Ventana, Augusta Health was able to track that since adopting Pocketalk in April, each device has averaged an impressive 726 translations. Matt explained that keeping devices in the right place and ensuring they are used properly are both crucial. “We don’t want to lose something so valuable,” he said. Staff appreciate that Ventana keeps everyone on track and makes managing the devices simple.

Augusta Health plans to continue leading by example, creating a welcoming environment where patients feel comfortable seeking care, regardless of their language. Pocketalk has become an integral part of that vision, helping staff and volunteers connect with patients one conversation at a time and fostering a truly inclusive healthcare environment.