Registering new transgender patients

[Homo sapien]

I have a question.

I am a podiatry student and I was wondering, when you get a new patient that is transgender, how do you register them? Say somebody came in who is a transman? Do you put their birth name and gender (such as Jane P, female) or their identifying name and gender (John P, Male) or would there be a specific section for gender identification and name? Would this cause issues with insurances if the person doesn't have their transitioned name as their insurance policy name? Or is this something where you would use whatever legal name they have for medical and insurance purposes but call them by what they wish to be called in personal interaction?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[beautifulrobot]

Some practices ask for legal name and preferred name, which is something a lot of patients, beyond transgender patients, appreciate. In regards to collecting gender identity data, the "two step" method is considered one of the gold standards, although it's still not perfect/some trans-identified people will get upset about being asked these questions or they just may not want to disclose their trans status/history. Insurance can sometimes get funny when you submit a claim for a gendered procedure (e.g. pap smear for a transgender man and the patient is listed as male with the insurance company), but usually a phone call to the insurance company will resolve any claim rejections.

 

[strider144]

Or is this something where you would use whatever legal name they have for medical and insurance purposes but call them by what they wish to be called in personal interaction?

Yes. If their legal name is not the name they use, then you should find a way to mark the chart (and let your front desk staff know!) to use the preferred name when talking with the patient.

Gender can be a little different, but honestly doesn't tend to be a huge problem.