The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) issued a press release November 21, 2011 that ob-gyns need to be prepared to provide routine treatment and screenings for transgender patients, or prepare to refer them to other physicians. In addition, the Opinion Committee within ACOG also states its opposition to gender identity discrimination and supports both public and private health insurance coverage for gender identity disorder treatment. This would open doors for medically necessary services such as culturally competent gynecological care, hormone treatment and transtional surgeries to be covered by insurances.
ACOG also included in the press release recommendations for ob-gyns to make their offices more welcoming to transgender patients. These recommendations include:
1. Asking patients preferred names and pronouns
2. Posting non-discrimination policies
3. Ensuring confidentiality
4. Offering sensitivity training to ALL staff members. - This is a service the www.everybodysgood.com team provides. If you are interested in arranging such a training, please contact us.
These recommendations are signficant because they have the potential to not only improve the quality of ob-gyn care for transgender patients, but to improve access to healthcare for transgender patients in a variety of settings.
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