Insurance Coverage and Use of Hormones Among Transgender Respondents to a National Survey.

PURPOSE: We undertook a study to assess the associations between barriers to insurance coverage for gender-affirming hormones (either lack of insurance or claim denial) and patterns of hormone use among transgender adults. METHODS: We used data from the US Transgender Survey, a large national sample of 27,715 transgender adults, collected from August to September 2015. We calculated weighted proportions and performed multivariate logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: Of 12,037 transgender adults using hormones, 992 (9.17%) were using nonprescription hormones. Among insured respondents, 2,528 (20.81%) reported that their claims were denied. Use of nonprescription hormones was more common among respondents who were uninsured (odds ratio = 2.64; 95% CI, 1.88-3.71; P <.001) or whose claims were denied (odds ratio = 2.53; 95% CI, 1.61-3.97; P <.001). Uninsured respondents were also less likely to be using hormones (odds ratio = 0.37; 95% CI, 0.24-0.56; P <.001). CONCLUSIONS: Lack of insurance coverage for gender-affirming hormones is associated with lower overall odds of hormone use and higher odds of use of nonprescription hormones; such barriers may thus be linked to unmonitored and unsafe medication use, and increase the risks for adverse health outcomes. Ensuring access to hormones can decrease the economic burden transgender people face, and is an important part of harm-reduction strategies.

Transphobia rather than education predicts provider knowledge of transgender health care.

PURPOSE: Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) patients face significant hurdles in accessing affirming, knowledgeable care. Lack of provider knowledge presents a substantial barrier to both primary and transition-related care and may deter patients from seeking health care. Little is known about factors that affect provider knowledge or whether exposure to TGD health content during training is associated with improved knowledge among providers. Using the TGD Healthcare Knowledge Scale, this study aimed to determine whether prior education on TGD health predicts clinicians' current knowledge regarding health care for TGD patients. METHODS: An online survey examining exposure to TGD content and knowledge of TGD health care was distributed to all primary care providers in an integrated health care system in the Midwestern United States. Multivariable linear regression was used to predict provider knowledge, controlling for demographics, transphobia and other potential confounders. RESULTS: The response rate was 57.3% (n = 223). The mean knowledge score was 7.41 (SD = 1.31) on a 10-point scale. Almost half (48.4%, n = 108) had no formal education on TGD health care, yet half (49.7%, n = 111) of providers reported previously caring for at least one transgender patient. In regression analysis, provider knowledge of TGD health care was associated with transphobia (ß = -0.377, 95% CI = -0.559 to -0.194, p < 0.001), but not with hours of formal education (ß = -0.027, 95% CI = -0.077 to 0.023, p = 0.292) or informal education (ß = -0.012, 95% CI = -0.033 to 0.009, p = 0.259). CONCLUSIONS: Increasing hours of education related to TGD health care may not be sufficient to improve providers' competence in care for TGD individuals. Transphobia may be a barrier to learning that needs to be addressed. Broader efforts to address transphobia in society in general, and in medical education in particular, may be required to improve the quality of medical care for TGD patients.

Welcoming transgender and nonbinary patients: expanding the language of "women's health".

In this article, we consider the impact of gendered language on our ability to provide inclusive care and to address health disparities experienced by transgender and nonbinary people. We posit that while obstetrician-gynecologists and others trained in women's health are already well positioned to extend care to this population, we can improve this care through simple adjustments in the framing and language we use.

Primary Care Clinicians' Willingness to Care for Transgender Patients.

Transgender patients report negative experiences in health care settings, but little is known about clinicians' willingness to see transgender patients. We surveyed 308 primary care clinicians in an integrated Midwest health system and 53% responded. Most respondents were willing to provide routine care to transgender patients (85.7%) and Papanicolaou (Pap) tests (78.6%) to transgender men. Willingness to provide routine care decreased with age; willingness to provide Pap tests was higher among family physicians, those who had met a transgender person, and those with lower transphobia. Medical education should address professional and personal factors related to caring for the transgender population to increase access.

Primary care providers' willingness to continue gender-affirming hormone therapy for transgender patients.

Background: Most transgender individuals either use or are interested in using gender-affirming hormone therapy (HT). Making gender-affirming HT available in primary care is critical for quality care to this vulnerable population. The barriers that transgender patients experience to accessing this treatment may be exacerbated if primary care providers (PCPs) will not provide it. Little is known about PCPs' willingness to administer HT to transgender patients. Objective: To examine whether PCPs are willing to continue prescribing HT for transgender patients and the factors that predict such willingness. Methods: An online survey of internal and family medicine physicians and residents practising in a large integrated Midwest health system (n = 308); 158 responded to the relevant questions (51.3%). Results: Approximately 50% of respondents were willing to continue HT for transgender patients. Most participants had previously met a transgender person (77%), and approximately half of them had cared for a transgender patient in the past 5 years. Multivariate logistic regression results indicate that attending physicians had lower odds of willingness to continue HT compared with medical residents, and those who reported perceived capability of providing routine care to transgender patients had higher odds of willingness. Conclusions: Only about half of PCPs surveyed were willing to continue HT for transgender patients. Our study indicates that both personal and clinical factors play a role. Future research should address ways to increase PCPs' willingness and comfort related to continuing HT for transgender patients.

State Restrictions and Geographic Access to Gender-Affirming Care for Transgender Youth.

This study estimates changes in geographic access and drive times to gender clinics following legislation enacted to restrict puberty-suppressing medications and hormones for those younger than 18 years.

Pregnancy Outcomes in a US Cohort of Transgender People.

This study assesses severe parental morbidity, cesarean deliveries, and preterm births among commercially and publicly insured trans people compared with cisgender people.

Discrimination and Delayed Health Care Among Transgender Women and Men: Implications for Improving Medical Education and Health Care Delivery.

BACKGROUND: The transgender community experiences health care discrimination and approximately 1 in 4 transgender people were denied equal treatment in health care settings. Discrimination is one of the many factors significantly associated with health care utilization and delayed care. OBJECTIVES: We assessed factors associated with delayed medical care due to discrimination among transgender patients, and evaluated the relationship between perceived provider knowledge and delayed care using Anderson's behavioral model of health services utilization. RESEARCH DESIGN: Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to test whether predisposing, enabling, and health system factors were associated with delaying needed care for transgender women and transgender men. SUBJECTS: A sample of 3486 transgender participants who took part in the National Transgender Discrimination Survey in 2008 and 2009. MEASURES: Predisposing, enabling, and health system environment factors, and delayed needed health care. RESULTS: Overall, 30.8% of transgender participants delayed or did not seek needed health care due to discrimination. Respondents who had to teach health care providers about transgender people were 4 times more likely to delay needed health care due to discrimination. CONCLUSIONS: Transgender patients who need to teach their providers about transgender people are significantly more likely to postpone or not seek needed care. Systemic changes in provider education and training, along with health care system adaptations to ensure appropriate, safe, and respectful care, are necessary to close the knowledge and treatment gaps and prevent delayed care with its ensuing long-term health implications.

The state of transgender health care: policy, law, and medical frameworks.

I review the current status of transgender people's access to health care in the United States and analyze federal policies regarding health care services for transgender people and the limitations thereof. I suggest a preliminary outline to enhance health care services and recommend the formulation of explicit federal policies regarding the provision of health care services to transgender people in accordance with recently issued medical care guidelines, allocation of research funding, education of health care workers, and implementation of existing nondiscrimination policies. Current policies denying medical coverage for sex reassignment surgery contradict standards of medical care and must be amended.

Required Mental Health Evaluation Before Initiating Gender-Affirming Hormones: Trans and Nonbinary Perspectives.

Purpose: Gender-affirming hormones (hormones)-the use of sex hormones to induce desired secondary sex characteristics in transgender and nonbinary (TGNB) individuals-are vital health care for many TGNB people. Some hormone providers require a letter from a mental health provider before hormone initiation. We explore the perspectives of TGNB individuals regarding the impact of the letter requirement on their experience of care. Methods: We conducted semistructured interviews with 21 TGNB individuals who have sought or are receiving hormones. We purposively sampled respondents who were (n=12) and were not (n=8) required to provide a letter. An Advisory Board of transgender individuals guided the methodology. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and coded both inductively and deductively. Results: We identified three themes related to the letter requirement: (1) Mental health: While participants appreciated the importance of therapy, the letter requirement did not serve this purpose; (2) Trans identity: The process of obtaining a letter created doubt in participants' own transness, along with a resistance to the pathologization and conflation of mental illness with transness; and (3) Care relationships: The letter requirement negatively impacted the patient-provider relationship. Participants felt the need to self-censor or to perform a version of transness they thought the provider expected; this process decreased their trust in care professionals. Conclusion: A letter requirement did not improve mental health and had several negative consequences. Removal of this requirement will improve access to hormones and may paradoxically improve mental health.

Prevalence and Determinants of Cervicovaginal, Oral, and Anal Human Papillomavirus Infection in a Population of Transgender and Gender Diverse People Assigned Female at Birth.

Purpose: The human papillomavirus (HPV) causes cervicovaginal, oral, and anogenital cancer, and cervical cancer screening options include HPV testing of a clinician-collected sample. Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people assigned female at birth (AFAB) face many barriers to preventive care, including cancer screening. Self-sampling options may increase access and participation in HPV testing and cancer screening. This study estimated the prevalence of HPV in self-collected cervicovaginal, oral, and anal samples from Midwestern TGD individuals AFAB. Methods: We recruited TGD individuals AFAB for an observational study, mailing them materials to self-collect cervicovaginal, oral, and anal samples at home. We tested samples for high-risk (HR; 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59) and other HPV genotypes (6, 11, 66, 68, 73, 90) using a polymerase chain reaction mass array test. Prevalence ratios for HPV infection at each site as a function of participant characteristics were estimated in log-binomial models. Results: Out of 137 consenting participants, 102 completed sample collection. Among those with valid tests, 8.8% (HR = 6.6%; HPV 16/18 = 3.3%) were positive for oral HPV, 30.5% (HR = 26.8%; HPV 16/18 = 9.7%) for cervicovaginal HPV, and 39.6% (HR = 33.3%; HPV 16/18 = 8.3%) for anal HPV. A larger fraction of oral (71.4%) than anal infections (50.0%) were concordant with a cervicovaginal infection of the same type. Conclusions: We detected HR cervicovaginal, oral, and anal HPV in TGD people AFAB. It is essential that we reduce barriers to cancer screening for TGD populations, such as through the development of a clinically approved self-screening HPV test.

Cervicovaginal and Anal Self-Sampling for Human Papillomavirus Testing in a Transgender and Gender Diverse Population Assigned Female at Birth: Comfort, Difficulty, and Willingness to Use.

Purpose: Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people assigned female at birth (AFAB) face numerous barriers to preventive care, including for cervical cancer screening. At-home human papillomavirus (HPV) testing may expand access to cervical cancer screening for TGD people AFAB. This study assessed the perceptions of TGD individuals AFAB who self-collected cervicovaginal and anal samples. Methods: We recruited TGD individuals AFAB to collect cervicovaginal and anal specimens at home using self-sampling for HPV testing, and individuals reported their perceptions of self-sampling. Associations between demographic and health characteristics and each of comfort of use, ease of use, and willingness to use self-sampling were estimated using robust Poisson regression. Results: Of 137 consenting participants, 101 completed the sample collection and the surveys. The majority of participants reported that the cervicovaginal self-swab was not uncomfortable (68.3%) and not difficult to use (86.1%), and nearly all (96.0%) were willing to use the swab in the future. Fewer participants found the anal swab to not be uncomfortable (47.5%), but most participants still found the anal swab to not be difficult to use (70.2%) and were willing to use the swab in the future (89.1%). Participants were more willing to use either swab if they had not seen a medical professional in the past year. Conclusions: TGD individuals AFAB were willing to use and preferred self-sampling methods for cervicovaginal and anal HPV testing. Developing clinically approved self-sampling options for HPV testing could expand access to cancer screening for TGD populations.

Determining the Sex Assigned at Birth of Transgender and Nonbinary Populations in Administrative Claims Databases Utilizing Diagnostic and Procedure Codes.

Purpose: Widespread conflation of sex assigned at birth and gender has hindered the identification of transgender and nonbinary people in large datasets. The study objective was to develop a method of determining the sex assigned at birth of transgender and nonbinary patients utilizing sex-specific diagnostic and procedural codes, for future use in administrative claims databases, with a goal of expanding the available datasets for exploring sex-specific conditions among transgender and nonbinary people. Methods: Authors reviewed indexes of International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes, and medical record data from a single institution's gender-affirming clinics. Sex-specific ICD and CPT codes were identified through author review and consultation with subject experts. Patient's sex assigned at birth determined by chart review, as a gold standard, was compared with sex assigned at birth determined by querying their electronic health records for natal sex-specific codes. Results: Sex-specific codes correctly identified 53.5% (n=364) of transgender and nonbinary patients assigned female sex at birth, and 17.3% (n=108) of those assigned male sex at birth. Codes were 95.7% and 98.3% specific for assigned female and male sex at birth, respectively. Conclusions: ICD and CPT codes can be used to specifically determine the sex assigned at birth in databases where this information is not recorded. This methodology has novel potential for use in exploring sex-specific conditions among transgender and nonbinary patients in administrative claims data.

Self-reported Patient-perpetrated Sexual Harassment and Subsequent Reporting Among Health Care Clinicians in Urology and Obstetrics-Gynecology: A Cohort Survey.

OBJECTIVE: To understand the experiences of urologists and obstetricians-gynecologists (obgyns) with patient-perpetrated sexual harassment (PPSH) since the clinical focus of these specialists may make them particularly vulnerable to PPSH. METHODS: A multiple-choice anonymous online survey was administered in the Departments of Urology and Obgyn at a single institution from 22 September, 2022-18 October, 2022. The survey assessed if clinicians had experienced PPSH, including gender harassment, unwanted sexual attention, and/or sexual coercion from patients, where PPSH was witnessed or experienced, and whether implementation of chaperones impacted their experiences with PPSH. We conducted descriptive analysis by clinician sex, department, and form of PPSH experienced. We also performed logistic regression analysis to identify clinician factors associated with experiencing PPSH. RESULTS: Majority of respondents reported that they experienced or witnessed PPSH (78%, N = 100). Gender harassment was the most common form of PPSH experienced by clinicians (53%, N = 68). PPSH was most often experienced or witnessed in clinic (74%, N = 70) and inpatient wards (66%, N = 62). Of those who utilized chaperones, 80% (N = 57) of clinicians reported they either did not reduce or were unsure if they reduced PPSH. When adjusting for clinician factors, being a female clinician (adjusted odd ratio [aOR] = 5.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.5-17.3), trainee (aOR = 6.9, 95% CI 1.1-44.6), or a urologist (aOR = 18.1, 95% CI 2.0-166.1) were associated with experiencing PPSH. CONCLUSION: Our study highlights the pervasiveness of PPSH among urologists and obgyns. Future studies should elucidate what policy changes can be effective in protecting clinicians from PPSH.