LGBTQ Hospital Health Policy Components

Core Policy Components

A comprehensive LGBTQ hospital health policy must include gender identity as part of nondiscrimination and antiharassment policies, inclusive definitions of family, patient-determined visitation rights, comprehensive transgender healthcare services, and mandatory cultural competency training for all staff, as recommended by the American College of Physicians 1, 2, 3
Include gender identity, independent and fundamentally different from sexual orientation, in all nondiscrimination and antiharassment policies, applying to all medical facilities within the healthcare system 2
Ensure these policies apply to all medical schools, hospitals, physicians' offices, and other medical facilities within the healthcare system, to prevent denial of care based on LGBTQ status, which affects 19% of transgender persons 3, 4

Define "family" inclusively to encompass those who maintain ongoing emotional relationships with patients, regardless of legal or biological relationships, and allow patients to determine who may visit and act on their behalf 2, 3
Ensure visitation policies comply with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Conditions of Participation and The Joint Commission standards, to provide comprehensive care to LGBTQ patients 3

Provide comprehensive transgender healthcare services through public and private health benefit plans, including hormone replacement therapy and appropriate cancer screenings, as recommended by the American Medical Association 2, 3, 5
Address specific healthcare needs of transgender patients, including those related to their anatomy, and ensure all covered services are provided to transgender persons as they would be to all other beneficiaries 2, 5

Include gender identity and sexual orientation as components of patients' medical records, and standardize information in electronic health records to include anatomy present, preferred name, and pronouns, as recommended by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society 1, 6
Support collection of demographic data on the LGBTQ population, and research potential causes of LGBTQ health disparities and best practices in reducing these disparities, to improve health outcomes 2, 3, 5

Incorporate LGBTQ health issues into medical school, residency, and continuing medical education curricula, and develop knowledge base in cultural and clinical competency for all healthcare providers, as recommended by the Association of American Medical Colleges 4, 7
Train providers to approach transgender patient treatment by respecting gender identity while providing prevention, treatment, and screening appropriate to present anatomy, and address concerns that sexual orientation or gender identity may affect selection into medical programs or acceptance by peers 4, 8

Failing to distinguish between gender identity and sexual orientation in policies, assuming providers are knowledgeable about transgender health without specific training, and neglecting to address the specific needs of LGBTQ individuals who are also members of racial or ethnic minority groups, as highlighted by the National Academy of Medicine 2, 4, 5