Regardless of the specific framework used, ONC and CMS should mandate SOGI data collection.įinally, we should also consider other data that will improve care for sexual and gender minority individuals. ONC and CMS have already used Promoting Interoperability to promote specific health IT objectives.

This could be required through an existing framework, like CMS and ONC’s Promoting Interoperability program. SOGI data collection should be mandated for all health care organizations. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) requires SOGI data collection, but only from federally-qualified health centers. However, neither ONC nor CMS requires health care organizations to to actually collect this data. ONC even established data standards for collecting SOGI data.

In 2015, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) issued a final rule requiring that EHRs must have the capacity to record SOGI data. We don’t know whether or to what extent COVID-19 is disproportionately impacting the LGBTQ+ community. However, few states report SOGI information during COVID-19 testing. Health disparities among sexual and gender minority patients put them at higher risk of developing complications from COVID-19. The paper states that sexual and gender minority populations are at higher risk for contracting and becoming seriously ill from COVID-19, in part because they are more likely to work in industries that have been hardest hit by the pandemic. This data also helps identify appropriate preventive screenings for patients.įurther, the collection of SOGI data allows health care organizations and researchers to identify and address health disparities among sexual and gender minority populations.Ī recent paper from Fenway Health argued that the COVID-19 crisis has only escalated the need for SOGI data collection. Gender-affirming hormone therapy can also impact a patient’s laboratory results, so gender identity information can help identify a patient’s appropriate laboratory reference range. Documenting gender identity and preferred pronouns can help providers avoid misgendering patients, which causes significant harm. Gender identity data is especially critical for the care of gender minority patients. Information about a patient’s sexual orientation, the CDC notes, can assist with “assessments of risk for sexually transmitted diseases and HIV, discussions about parenting, and effective interventions for behavioral health concerns that can be related to the experiences of anti-LGBT stigma.” SOGI data can allow for more patient-centered care. The collection of SOGI data in health care settings can help improve culturally-sensitive care and reduce health disparities. It’s time to require SOGI data collection in EHRs nationwide. However, SOGI documentation is not broadly required. Many health care systems across the country have been collecting SOGI information for several years. Most electronic health record (EHR) vendors are able to document SOGI data. This data can also be used to reduce health disparities among sexual and gender minority populations. Sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) data is widely considered crucial to providing competent care to LGBTQ+ patients.

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